Tangled Web
by Neon.Love.Monkey
Summary: Carry on from that drama queen's story 'Ambushed': Alex Strong didnt know that one dare in attempt to destroy Robbie and Kim's relationship would change her life in the ways that it eventually would. In ways she could never imagine. 23 Chapters!
1. Complicated

**Chapter One: Complicated**

Alex ran as quickly from the storage room as she could. _**Did that really just happen? **_Her mind raced as she ran as quickly as she could over without knocking anyone over to a table where a boy with jet-black hair and dark skin was waiting for her.

"Did you do it?" It was the first thing out of Ray Brennan's mouth as soon as she jumped into the chair beside him. Her cheeks were still on fire and her mind was still spinning with disbelief. _**You didn't just do that.**_Thankfully the pillar in front of her blocked anyone coming from the general direction of the storage room from seeing her. "Alex, did you do it?"

"Yes," The simple word sent Ray into a visible fit of joy. _**And we're horrible people.**_ "They'll be split sooner or later. Kim's reporter instincts will drill through Robbie once she realizes kissing him just isn't the same. His mind won't be off of that kiss for a while." A sly tone she'd thrown into her voice caused Ray to slap her shoulder gently. If she could tell him the truth, she would say she was unsure.

"Aww, yeah! Kimbie will be no more when this is through!" Ray said and Alex rolled her eyes. She was still wondering how he'd managed to make up the word _Kimbie_. It had to be one of Travis's weird name combinations. The blonde crossed her arms before slouching down in her seat and staring at her best friend.

"I still think we should've talked to Robbie about his Ray." She knew he could tell she wasn't impressed from the tone in her voice and the look she was throwing him, but Ray only shook his head.

"Nah. It's way more fun this way. _Plus_, you scored a major make out session with Robbie." Ray winked at her as he finished. She slugged his arm. "Ow!"

"Shut up Ray! I thought you said you'd be quiet about that." Alex hissed. It was the only downside to having Ray Brennan as your best friend. His mouth was sometimes a bit too big for secrets and all you could do was trust he would keep quite long enough or that you were around if he let something slip. But Alex knew only too well that if word got out to certain people that she liked Robbie, her life would be over.

"I'm sorry! I'm just really excited about this. Robbie won't even know what hit him when he starts to get feelings for you. He'll never know that we set this up!" Ray exclaimed as quietly as he could but that didn't stop Alex's green eyes from turning hard. Did he really think Robbie would end up liking her?

"Yeah right Ray. Like Robbie is really going to like me after all this. Especially if he finds out this was planned." She muttered. Ray raised his eyebrows and glanced towards the ceiling. It was his sign of thinking.

"Well if I can read Robbie correctly, this will stick to his mind-"

"I know that Ray!" Alex interrupted him and he held a finger up to silence her.

"And hidden feelings might immerge." Ray finished from where he'd started. The strange feeling rolled through her stomach for the millionth time that day and made her eyes widen.

"What?" She exclaimed, causing several people to look over at the two of them. _**Well what were you really doing this for?**_Ray's only reply was a shrug and Alex moaned while putting her face in her hands and shaking her head.

"It's just a suggestion Alex," Ray said. She felt a hand drop onto her shoulder. Alex didn't say anything as she let what she'd done sink in. _**Hidden feelings might immerge…**_ "Don't worry about it A. Just go with the flow and make sure that-"

"Alex." A sneering voice interrupted Ray and Alex rubbed her fore head. Only one person could speak with that amount of arrogance in his voice. _**Not now…**_Ray seemed to straighten up and Alex made sure to roll her eyes before turning around.

"Hello River." River Pierce, the most popular guy in Roscoe High and Captain of the Tennis Team, was standing a few feet away from her with a sly look on his face. He made his appearances sparingly throughout her day in order to spite her for thinking he wouldn't show up.

"Fancy meeting you here." Ray scoffed a laugh and caused both Alex and River to look at him.

"Right, because Mickey's isn't the coolest place in Roscoe to-" Ray started but River silenced him with his usual flick of his wrist. Alex was annoyed to feel that he was keeping his beady eyes on her.

"Shut up Brennan." Ray shut his mouth immediately, a fact that made Alex glare at River hard. She hated people who were controlling and River was certainly one of those people. Ever since she'd joined the tennis team in her freshmen year River had been on her back.

"What do you want River?" She asked in what she hoped was a weary tone. _**Not that pretending I'm tired will make him sympathize or anything.**_

"Well, for starters, is that seat taken?" Alex's eyes darted towards the seat next to her. She knew he wouldn't wait for a reply to sit down. The second his hand closed on top of the chair she grabbed her bright purple canvas bag and threw it on the seat.

"Yes. Now, what do you want?" Alex asked coldly. She always acted like this with him because he insisted on acting like this with her. River narrowed his eyes while Ray sat beside her laughing silently. It always amused him when she was annoyed with someone, especially the annoying presence that was River Pierce.

"The tennis tourney is coming up soon. Are you ready?" She stared him hard in the eye. He was trying to psyche her out. He did it before every big game.

"Of course I am River. The question is...are you?" River smiled as she rounded off on him.

"Oh you bet I am." River said with challenge written in his words. Alex narrowed her eyes and made to say something, but Ray shook her arm.

"What?" She muttered while trying to focus on two different directions. Ray nodded his head in the direction of the storage room and Alex felt her stomach swirl again. A very frazzled looking Robbie was coming out of the door followed by a very confused looking Kim.

"I suggest you leave right now if you don't want to be seen." Ray muttered. It took two seconds for Alex to grab her jacket, scarf and mitts.

"Coming with me?" She asked Ray and he smiled before pulling his jacket on.

"Oh yeah baby! Double trouble is back in action!" His yell made Alex smile at him before she grabbed his hand and started at a quick walk out of Mickey's.

"Later Pierce." Was all she could manage as they continued walking past a confused River. The doorknob was under her mitts before she knew it and a gust of wind blew snowflakes into her face as she pulled Ray out into the snowy street in front of Mickey's. _**Don't look back Alex. Don't look back.**_ Her green eyes flew back to the window and gave her just enough time to catch Robbie's glance from inside. He couldn't possibly like her. _**Stop denying what might be possible.**_

&&&&&&

Alex sat on Lily's bed, twirling a strand of her long blonde hair on her finger.

"I don't know guys," Alex ran her hands through her hair as she repeated herself for the tenth time that day. Everything seemed to be in a blur. Robbie had tried calling her about 10 times when she'd gotten home from Mickey's the day before, but she'd told Travis to tell him she wasn't home…she was having a bath…she was really busy. This had of course probed questions from her worried cousin.

"Well, did Travis figure it out? He'd the only one that wasn't in on the dare." Lily Randal asked and Alex shook her head. She'd stood her ground and said that they'd just gotten into a bit of an argument. She stared at the blonde girl in front of her that was strumming on her guitar. She had been friends with Lily for almost as long as she had been friends with Ray. Alex tried to calculate exactly how long that had been when a brunette planted herself on top of her.

"Yeah! I mean, I even knew about it!" Parker Haynes squealed while taking a piece of Alex's long hair and beginning to braid it. Alex turned her head a bit with a smile to look at her good friend. She had been friends with Parker since they'd had to play rock, paper, scissors for the last pudding cup at school. Alex had won but Parker had taken it anyway. It had been a miracle that Parker and Lily had met without Alex having to introduce them. She was horrible at introducing.

"Of course you knew about it," Alex sighed and Parker smiled brightly. "The only reason that we, as in Lily, Ray and I, chose to tell you and not Travis about the dare was because we knew that Travis would try and intervene only because he's Travis."

"Which we couldn't have. Robbie would be so angry with us for doing something like that and it would only push him towards Kim more. Although, I still think we should've just told Robbie we have a problem with him dating Kim." Lily reasoned. Alex nodded in agreement and opened her mouth to state that, but Parker's laugh cut her off.

"But that's not fun! This way Alex got to make out with Robbie." Parker said with a grin she knew would bother the blonde. And it did. Alex picked up a pillow and hit Parker with it while trying to frown her smile away. Much to her disappointment Parker only giggled and fell back on Lily's bed.

"You are so much like Ray it's not even funny!" Alex moaned and Parker sat up, crossing her legs. "He said the exact same thing!"

"So what's next?" Lily asked. Alex sent her a quizzical look and noticed a similar expression on Parker's face. _**What does she mean?**_

"What do you mean, what's next?" Parker asked voicing Alex's thoughts. Lily raised her eyebrows as if she were being completely obvious.

"In the dare? I mean, Robbie might not fess up to Kim but he's got to tell somebody. Who will that be?" Lily said. The question rang in their ears for a second before Alex started knocking off friends.

"Well it won't be Ray because well…it's Ray. Robbie wouldn't think that he would take it seriously. It won't be Lily because he doesn't want to get an answer from a girl-" Alex began and Parker interrupted.

"He's too proud to do that." She pointed out and the two nodded in silent agreement. Alex bit down on her lip before speaking, the only flaw in their loop dawning on her.

"So it could only be…"

&&&&&&

"Travis?" Robbie McGrath knocked on one of his best friend's bedroom doors. Everything was becoming way too weird. First Alex cornered him and kissed him. Then he enjoyed the kiss. Then Alex left Mickey's with Ray several minutes after. Since that day she was always too _busy_ or _unavailable_ to talk to him. Now he was standing at her cousin's bedroom door to ask him for help. He'd originally come to see Alex with the intention of cornering her somewhere she wouldn't be able to run out of but as she had been the past few days, she wasn't at home.

"Robbie. Hey," Travis opened the door to his room. He was obviously surprised to see him, but Robbie accepted that without question. He merely walked in to Travis's room and sat down. "Come on right in then."

"Travis, I need your advice." He said bluntly. He didn't know how well this would go. Travis had always been known to play the protective cousin role in Alex's life, even if she was older, and he was frankly worried about how he would take it. Robbie held his breath and took the chance. Travis sat down on at his computer while Robbie took the bed. Travis would either freak out and go kung fu on him or remain calm but frazzled.

"Okay. On what may I ask?" Travis asked after he realized Robbie wasn't going to do a follow up immediately. Robbie wrung his hands together. _**Should I be telling him? He is her cousin after all.**_

"It's Alex." Travis straightened up worriedly when Robbie said her name.

"What about Alex?" Travis was definitely in protective mode which only made Robbie breathe in deeply. _**Here it goes…**_

"She kissed me yesterday in the storage closet." Robbie said all in one breath in hopes that Travis hadn't heard what he'd said. Unfortunately, he had.

"**What**!" Travis yelled and Robbie stood up to try and calm him down while a blush rode to his cheeks. He'd watched his knuckles flex and relax four times in the past five seconds and he wasn't too fond of getting one set of them in his face.

"Let me explain. I thought I was going to see Kim in the storage room-"

"Because you're dating Kim."

"Yes, but when I got there, it was Alex-"

"How did she know you'd be there?"

"She must have over heard us and decided to come-"

"Damn her ears."

"She said all this stuff. I can't exactly really remember what it was. Then she kissed me-"

"Stuff? What stuff?"

"I don't know? I was too busy wondering why she was in there and then why she was kissing me. It started out smooth, but then she got aggressive-"

"She _what_!?"

"It wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Then she told me I wouldn't forget it-"

"Well, I don't think you would exactly forget that."

"Then she left the closet and Kim came in, but I couldn't do anything. So I ran out after Alex and I saw her leaving holding hands with Ray from what I could see."

"Ray?" Robbie nodded and felt that unexplainable twinge of something in the pit of his stomach. Travis's face went stone cold and before he could speak his cell phone rang. Robbie felt a rush of relief as he answered it quietly. _**That distracts him for a few breaths.**_ "Hello? Oh hey Lily...you're what?...She's where?...Why?...Yeah he's here. Why though?...So there _is_ an explanation…Hey A. What do you mean, you didn't think it would end up like this?...What?...So this is all a - oh right. I'm sorry...Okay...Well, I guess that's good reason then...Yes I agree with you…I think it's stupid but...No, I don't feel that way...Okay. I'll see you later…bye." Robbie looked at Travis after listening to half of the conversation. He had used one of Alex's nicknames and obviously had called Lily by her first. But what had they been talking about? Was it him?

"Was that Lily and Alex? What did they say?" Robbie asked the second he hung up. Travis blinked a few times before answering him, though he looked unsure.

"Nothing. It was just they were wondering what type of uh…pizza they should order. They're having a girl's night out and they couldn't decide." Travis stammered and Robbie raised his eyebrows. _**That's not what it sounded like. He has to be lying.**_

"Oh. Okay then." _**I'll take the lame excuse and save my questions for later.**_ Robbie sat back down on the bed and tried to stop himself from fidgeting.

"So, about the kiss. Do you have any feelings towards it?" Travis's sudden question made Robbie shoot his eyes back up to face him. Any feelings? What was he supposed to feel about it? He couldn't think anymore.

"I don't know. I'm so confused about it," Robbie paused while reconsidering something. "Travis? Could you do me a favor and talk to her about it? Find out why she did it? She isn't talking to me and I need to know. I would appreciate it so much if you could." Travis seemed to freeze for a second but quickly answered him with a fast smile.

"Sure. I'll do my best." Travis nodded. A weight lifted off of Robbie's shoulders as he stood up and slapped Travis on the back.

"Thanks Trav. You have no idea how much this will help," Robbie grinned as he began walking out of Travis's room. He still looked stunned by the whole idea, but Robbie figured it was only because of the situation. Who would really not be shocked if your best friend came and told you that he'd made out with your cousin? "Thanks for the advice. I'll see you later."

&&&&&

"Yeah," Travis called after Robbie's retreating back. He waited until he knew Robbie was out of the house to kick the nearest thing, which happed to be his doorframe. "You idiot! You just promised your cousin and your best friend that you'd talk to Robbie for her. Then you promise Robbie that you'd talk to Alex for him!" Travis shook his head while facing the prospect in front of him. It would have been so much easier if that phone call had come a few minutes before Robbie had barged into his room. "I'm an idiot."


	2. Freak Out

**Chapter Two: Freak Out**

Alex shook her sandy blonde hair and smoothed the cherry flavored lip gloss onto her lips. She'd already applied mascara and some shimmer dust to her cheeks, but her look didn't feel complete. She rummaged through the makeup bag that Parker and Lily had given her for her birthday as her frustration began to climb. Alex had never really had time for makeup before. In all the tennis academies she'd lived in and worked in, she knew that makeup only took away from the valuable sleep time practicing and studying didn't permit.

"Alex, ten minutes!" Travis called from outside the bathroom door and she rolled her eyes. She _shouldn't _have agreed to leaving early for school with Travis. It had been awkward enough when she had finally gathered up the courage to go home from Lily's. She'd walked in the door and immediately Travis had pestered her with questions about the kiss. She'd had no choice but to shut the bathroom door and lock it as she prepared to have a bath. Even then he had stood outside of it asking her until he had finally realized she wasn't going to say anything.

"Yeah Trav, I'm just packing up." Alex lied and she smiled happily as she found her eyeliner.

"Have you eaten yet?" He asked for the second time that morning. Alex sighed, putting her eyeliner on carefully. Travis was always concerned about her eating. It was a pastime she forgot quiet regularly when she became overly busy.

"Um…" Alex searched for something to say, but her cousin saw through the door and right through her.

"Don't even think about lying to me Alexandra Rae Davis Strong. I know when you're lying and when you're not." Travis trapped any chances she had of escaping into a lie. This was something he was incredibly good at doing. With his Buddha-like antics and theories, Travis was like a human lie detector.

"No I haven't eaten Travis, but it's only because you woke me up ten minutes late." Alex snapped back at her cousin. Going to school early would mean having to face Robbie sooner than she would like to, which Alex _did not _want to do. She waited for an answer from her cousin, but he remained silent.

"I'll get you a muffin. Just make sure you bring some gum to school after." Travis finally replied. He could tell she was not in a good mood. She finished smudging on her dark eyeliner and threw the small black pencil into her makeup bag. She heard his footsteps trace down the hallway before Alex finally looked at her reflection. At this moment she hated the person in front of her.

"Why did you do it?" She muttered to herself. She could still remember the night she had agreed to ruin a relationship.

_"So__ Ray, why did you call us here?" Alex asked__ as she accep__t__ed some Apple Cider from Ray. He sat down beside her__ on the couch__ after handing Lily and Parker their own mugs of the steaming drink__. They were al__l at Mickey's for the__ emergency meeting__ Ray had called them about_

_"Okay. As you know, I just found out about Kim and Robbie's __relationship__." Ray said and Alex winced. Everything had changed__ on the day she saw the two supposed enemies kiss during inventory. K__eeping a secret__ suddenly__ hadn't been so easy._

_"Ditto Ray."__ Parker reminded him. He nodded while__ taking a swig of cider._

_"I__ don't know about everyone else, but I__ am__ personally__ very shocked that Ro__bbie would turn on us like this. That's why__ I ha__ve worked out a plan." __Alex, who'd been s__ipping her cider, choked on the sip__ that was sliding down her throat._**Oh no.**

_"Uh oh."__ Lily muttered out loud. __Parker scratched the back of her neck.__ Alex knew they both were flipping through the success rates of Ray's other plans. Her best friend__ looked at them bewildered and patte__d Ale__x, who was still coughing her head off, on the back_

_"What? I have good plans." Ray__ began to argue__ and Lily laughed sarcastically._

_"Oh yeah, that always__ just happen to back fire." Ray stubbornly frowned at her._

_"But they__ always__ wor__k out in the end." Ray said. __Lily we__nt to say something, but Parker set both hands in front of them. Alex was thankful for the interruption. As fun as Ray and Lily were together, their arguments were notoriously long and bitter._

_"Ray! Lily! Please. Lily, you haven't even heard the idea yet, so why don't we ju__st give it a shot?" Parker reasoned__ and Lily huffed back in her seat._

_"Fine.__"__ Was all she mumbled as Ray's brown eyes skimmed over hers __triumphantly._

_"Thank you Parker." He said through a grin. Alex took a final cough before stopping and sighing to __herself__ She was already intrigued with his plan._

_"So__ what's the plan?" Alex asked__ as Ray's mouth opened to say something. He closed it to sigh in annoyance._

_"I was getting to it!" He whined. __Alex rolled her eyes. _**Well sorry…**_ "Any way__, here it is. We all know here that Alex likes Robbie right?" Alex__ worriedly glanced around Mickey's before slugging__him in the arm. The last thing she needed was for someone__to find out about her crush_

_"Yes." Pa__rker and Lily said in unison causing__ Alex __to shri__nk in her seat._

_" I__ was thinking…" Ray mumbled, rubbing his sore arm__ before going __on with his dare. Alex sat beside Ray__ listening intently. Ha__lf of her thought it was genius. T__he other h__alf thought it was insane. U__sually, when it came to Ray, Alex sided with the insane half._

_"So you just want Alex to make out with Robbie so that he__'ll eventually feel so guilty that he'll__ br__eak up with Kim?" Lily asked once he'd finished.__ Ray__'s face twisted before he__ nodded._

_"That's pretty much it." He replied dryly__ and Lily shook her head, throwing her hands in the air._

_"Do you know how many thin__gs could go wrong with that!?" S__he exclaimed and Ray downed the rest of his cider__ before speaking__ Alex could feel her cheeks growing pinker as she sipped her own cider._

_"Yeah, but Alex here is__ a stubborn perfectionist, so nothing would go entirely wrong. I__t could work out in good way too. Alex could end up dating__ Robbie." Ray concluded with a wide grin. __Alex__ felt the rest of her blush subside and she__ moaned, pushing b__ack in her seat. Lily was right. Way too many things__ could go wrong with this plan__, even if she was determined to perfect it_

_"So Alex, what do you say?" Parker asked. Alex opened her eyes from __trying to __conceali__ng herself away from her friends and Ray's plan of ultimate destruction_

_"I…I…Li__l, you agreed?" Alex stumbled through her confused words while staring disappointedly at the blonde__. Lily shrugged._

_"I love Robbie to death, but I don't want to __see him end up with Kim! Besides, you've liked him forever and whether or not you'll admit it you know that__ you guys would __be a cute couple." __Alex rubbed her eyes__ at the end of Lily's excuse_

_"Come on Alex. It'l__l be…um…fun." Ray tried to lighten her pessimistic heart as she considered her options. Both were bad and good at the same time._

_"Fine.__ What do I have to lose?" _

_Ray smiled cheekily._

_"You__r single status?"__ H__e received another slug in the arm from Alex._

**&&&&&&&&**

River smiled slyly as he walked down the empty hall of Roscoe High. It was early morning and empty except for the lone girl with tight curls and a pristine outfit standing in front of a locker. Kim Carlisle.

"Kim," He smirked as he walked up to her locker. She shut her locker slightly and glared at him coldly. "How are you today?"

"Fine." She said through clenched teeth. River smirked. He knew exactly what she was angry about. When she continued gathering her stuff without saying anything else, River snatched up the opportunity again.

"I'm doing great, thanks for asking." He replied happily. She slammed her locker shut.

"What do you want Pierce? Your family has already ruined my life enough." She spat and he narrowed his eyes.

"Now, now, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." River rounded and she tilted her head to the side begrudgingly.

"Whatever." She muttered before making to walk past him. River turned around and watched her retreating back.

"So are you excited for the trip Kim?" River called and Kim stopped abruptly. "A cruise in the Caribbean, isn't it great?" Kim span around and stormed up to him before dragging him over to a corner.

"Just for your information, I had no idea I was even going on a cruise until this morning. The fact that my family and your family are going together doesn't make it any smoother! So don't think that we can be all buddy-buddy. I mean, I might hang around with you on the cruise, but that'll just be because I won't know anyone else." River smiled.

"Of course not Kim," River said with a slight bow. Kim frowned and nodded briskly before walking back out to the hall. "I wouldn't dream of it."

**&&&&&&&&&**

"He's not what!" Alex shrieked into her cell phone. She'd just walked into school when her cell phone had begun to ring. She had answered to the worried voice of one of her good friends and fellow tennis teammates Stam Bridges.

"I know. River's going on a cruise two days before the break. The exact same day-"

"As our tourney." Alex growled. She walked down the slightly busy hallway and slapped her phone shut as Stam walked up to her. Stam smiled at her through her choppy black bangs, her pale skin chipped pink from the cold outside and her violet eyes were a sparkling wonder.

"Can you believe it? And you'll never guess who his family is going on the ship with." Stam said, taking Alex's arm and pulling her through the crowd of students to her locker.

"Who?" Alex asked. She really couldn't handle any more surprises for the day, but after this shocker, she guessed herself ready for anything. Stam's dark eyebrows went up before she replied.

"Kim Carlisle's family," Alex's mouth dropped open and Stam nodded in response. "I know."

"The Carlisles? He's ditching our tourney to go on a cruise with the Carlisles!"


	3. How Does it Feel?

**Chapter Three: How ****Does**** it Feel?**

"River!"

River turned his head to see Alex storming towards him with fury radiating off of her. He smirked to himself. She'd likely just found out that he wasn't going to be there for the tennis tourney. River sighed and waited for her to stop in front of him. He'd always thought that Alex came to school later than now.

"Yes Alex?" He asked while grabbing his books and shutting the door of his locker gently. Her sandy blonde hair was slightly wavy today. It was flying around her face as she walked quickly towards him. He found himself smirking again.

"You're leaving? The day **of**our tourney?" She questioned him, narrowing her eyes when she finally reached him. River smiled before shifting his books to his other arm and putting the other one around her shoulders. "What are you doing?" She could fight back dangerously if he provoked her enough. Instead, he took her towards the semi-empty cafeteria.

"I just wanted to sit down with my _second _favourite tennis star and discuss this dilemma." River said slyly, sitting her down in a chair. She didn't protest or say anything for that matter when he sat down beside her. She picked up her purple canvas bag and put it on her shoulders while maintaining her scowl. If River didn't have control over his emotions, he would have allowed himself to blush and smile at her image. She was too cute for her own good.

"So? Why are you leaving?" She rephrased her question and he raised his eyebrows. He couldn't deny it anymore. He really _did _like Alex, but he knew he could never have her. He could never convince her of considering him. Instead it was time for some shameless flirting.

"You know," River said as he looked her face up and down. "You're pretty cute when you're angry." She sent him a glare, but he caught her cheeks turning pink. River smirked happily. He'd flattered her and she would admit it to no one.

"Come on Pierce. Tell me why you're leaving on the day of the tourney." She said briskly. He leaned forward slightly in his chair.

"You want to know the truth?" he asked and she nodded, setting her hands on the table in front of her. "The truth is…I don't know why." Alex slammed her hands against the table angrily and startled him.

"You don't know why?" She repeated through pursed lips and he nodded.

"My parents were the ones that booked the cruise, not me, but I would rather stay. I'm perfectly happy in Roscoe." River said and Alex sighed unhappily.

"Some captain you are." She muttered. River rolled his eyes. "What? You could've at least said that you've got something important to do! River, you're the _captain _and they're marking us on that as well as playing!"

"It's not my fault Alex! My parents just issued it," River sighed and Alex looked away, clearly frustrated. River winced at this. The fact that he had made her more than annoyed bothered him. "Anyway, you'll do great. You're the next best guy Alex." Without issuing his response he reached over and set his hand on top of hers, rubbing it softly. His action spoke to him when she tensed beneath his touch.

"River…" She mumbled turning to face him. Her cheeks were stained a bright red and he knew exactly why. He'd never done anything like this before. For once he was letting himself be himself. Not the arrogant captain of everything he portrayed himself as. Taking in the moment, River reached forward to brush the piece of hair that had fallen into her face away and smiled.

"It could work." He whispered. The blonde glared at him and pushed him away. River watched through the eyes of himself as she grabbed her bag and left, weaving through the tables of the cafeteria. He stretched back in his chair and brushed it off like he was tired. He could get any girl in the school…except the one he really wanted.

**&&&&&&&&**

Robbie sat in the cafeteria with his head in his hands when his thinking was interrupted by the fast sound of approaching footsteps.

"Robbie!" Kim's voice was just a little too happy to be normal, but it hardly affected his mood. He lifted his head and tried to smile at his girlfriend.

"Hey." He mumbled. As much as he hated to admit it, the kiss was still on his mind. She had been right. It stuck to his mind like peanut butter sticks to the roof of his mouth and no matter how many times he tried to swallow it, it remained where it was.

"Okay. I don't want you to hear it from someone else, so here it goes. You know how we were going to spend Christmas Eve together?" Kim began. Robbie nodded vaguely. "Well, I can't do that anymore." Her statement made Robbie look up at her as he began to panic.

"What?" They'd planned _everything_ together. Hot Chocolate at Mickey's, skating at the park, going back to his house and watching a movie, then walking her home. It was supposed to be the most romantic Christmas Eve for a couple. Now she was backing out? He was suddenly convinced that life couldn't be more complicated than this. "Why?"

"My parents booked a 2 week cruise through the Caribbean and we're going with the Pierce's which makes it all the more _wonderful_" Kim muttered sarcastically as she stared hard at her nails. There was a moment's silence and Robbie watched the different couples walking around the cafeteria. "Look, I know this isn't fair. You know I would much rather not go and be here for Christmas with you, but my parents won't listen to me."

"Did you try talking to them?" Robbie asked and Kim rolled her eyes.

"Of course I did Robbie. When they told me this morning I tried explaining, but they wouldn't listen. Parents are like that. Especially my parents. They just expect you to follow along with their plans." Kim said angrily and he looked at her sympathetically. She was choking back tears. "I'm so sorry."

**&&&&&&&&**

"Alex!" Parker exclaimed as she caught sight of the blonde sitting on the floor by her locker, staring into space. Worry and stress were etched onto her face and Parker suddenly felt extremely sorry for this side of her friend.

"Yeah?" Her voice cracked when she spoke. The brunette sat down beside her and waved a hand in front of her face. Alex turned her head wearily towards Parker. "Hey."

"Talk to Robbie?" Parker asked with the farthest hope in her voice. Alex shook her head and the hope slowly disintegrated.

"No, I haven't yet." She replied and Parker put an arm around her shoulders. She was tense. Her voice was distant.

"Then what's wrong?" She was confused. It seemed like the only logical explanation to the frown on the blonde's face. Alex rubbed the side of her nose before replying.

"River…I went to talk to him and he…he sort of got really emotional. He touched my hand and brushed the hair out of my eyes. Then he said in this misty voice _It__ could work…_" Alex said while trying her best not to scream. Parker sighed. She wouldn't exactly blame River for liking her. With her long dark blonde waves and bright green eyes, Alex was very attractive. She was also a star tennis player with an attitude that defined her. Female jocks that were gifted in their sport of choice was a very rare thing to come across in the halls of Roscoe High.

"Well," Parker sighed, feeling her own emotion come through. "Crushes are very hard to control." Alex turned her surprised head toward Parker. Parker only laughed. She'd never expressed feelings like this before. "Any way Lily sent me to tell you that we're doing a Super Secret Santa."

"A Super Secret Santa?" Alex repeated bewildered and Parker nodded, enthusiasm flooding back to her.

"Yep. We're all going to pick a name and whoever you get is who you buy for!" Parker said as she stood up. The Santa hat that she had brought with her suddenly was floating in front of Alex's face. "Here. There are names in here. You can't tell me who you got, okay?"

"Got it." Alex agreed before plunging her hand into the hat.

**&&&&&&&&**

_Ray_. His name sat in curly letters on the tear of paper. This was great. Ray was the easiest person to buy for on the entire list of their friends. She could casually just ask him what was on his list for Christmas. If it was nothing in particular, she would just get him some animal slippers. He'd been looking for a pair of beaver slippers and she'd seen a pair at Mandy's Gifts that was a reasonable price.

"Who'd you get?" Parker tried and Alex laughed, forgetting for a moment about the weight upon her.

"I can't tell you." Alex giggled and Parker nodded with a grin.

"Good girl. We're exchanging on the 24th at 7pm at Mickey's. Don't be late!" Parker yelled as she walked down the now busy hall. Alex sighed and ran her hands through her hair before standing up. With that distraction gone it was back to River and Robbie. She liked Robbie. She always had. Yet somehow feelings had slipped through when River had grabbed her hand. It showed a different side of him that wasn't his usual I'm-so-much-better-than-you persona. He had shown her an emotional side.

"This day cannot get any worse." Alex muttered to herself. It was almost as if someone was taunting her when she looked up and saw Robbie walking toward her with Travis. She managed to catch his glance and wanted so badly to pretend what was happening wasn't. Alex tried to smile and took the easy way out. Her feet began running to her next class. Robbie could wait until after school. Right now, she needed to pass Chemistry.

**&&&&&&&&&**

"Robbie! Travis!" Parker's voice got to them before she did. Travis turned around to find his heartbeat quickening and his breathing become short. He still had to become used to this feeling again. After Bridget left, Travis had been heartbroken, but at the same time he'd met and started talking to Parker. It hadn't taken him long to discover a gem in her. A gem that seemed to be as unique as he was.

"Hey Parker." Robbie said casually. "Have you talked to Ale-"

"Never mind that now McGrath," Parker cut him off knowingly. "I'm the messenger for the Super Secret Santa that me and Lily made up and you _have _to do it, no exceptions."

"Okay, that sounds like fun, but-"

"Pick a name! And you can't tell _anyone_ who you got!" Parker cut him off again happily. Travis laughed. She'd carefully avoided the subject of Alex like he'd been doing all morning. He wasn't involved enough with this matter to answer any of Robbie's questions. "Go on, pick!"

**&&&&&&&**

"Okay," Robbie said, reaching into the hat Parker held out to him. The small slip of paper weighed his fingers down while he opened it. _Alex_ sat in curly letters on the surface. He sighed deeply. Could this get any worse? "Can I pick again?" Travis glanced at him with an identical fold of paper in his own hands. They all seemed to know who he had picked.

"No! We're meeting and exchanging on the 24th at 7 at Mickey's. Don't be late!" Parker grinned before skipping down the hall and out of sight.

"Well that was interesting." Robbie could only nod in reply to Travis's statement. _Interesting indeed._

**&&&&&&&**

"I'll see you later. I've got History right now." Robbie was down the hall before he could reply. Travis had guessed who Robbie had gotten the second he had asked to switch, and he could only hope that he would get the person he wanted. Travis opened the slip of paper and stared at the name. _Parker_. He smiled. It would take thought to get her the right gift, but maybe this was the opportune moment to express his feelings.


	4. Pitter Patter Goes My Heart

**Just so everyone knows here are the pairings for Secret Santa:**

Alex has Ray

Robbie's got Alex

Travis has Parker

Lily's got Robbie

Parker has Travis

Ray's got Lily

**&**

**Chapter Four: ****Pitter**** Patter Goes My Heart**

"Why won't you tell me who you got?" Ray asked her for the tenth time after being with her for a mere two minutes. His face looked hopeful for an answer but Alex only rolled her eyes in response and continued walking down the hall. So far she'd gotten through half of the day without seeing Robbie.

"Because Ray," Alex began in her matter-of-fact tone. "Why do you think it's called _Secret Santa_?" Ray had never been good with keeping secrets and not knowing secrets. She hadn't been surprised when he started pestering her. Alex had found it fun to keep trying to ignore him. It would spoil the fun if he found out that she was his Secret Santa.

"I don't know," Alex stopped briefly while waiting for a group of gothic looking girls to pass her. Roscoe High had always had its own variety of different cliques. If she was correct, she was classified as a jock. "Because Santa wanted to be kept secret?" Alex scoffed down a laugh and continued walking. She was too busy trying not to get squished that she couldn't even figure it out if Ray's joke of the day made any sense.

"Ray, I'm not telling you who you got and I doubt that anyone else will tell you who they got, so you might as well stop asking." Alex laughed, clutching her books and squeezing her way past the other students in the hall. She didn't get the reaction she was hoping for. Instead she got a loud cackle coming from her best friend.

"Now that, Miss Strong, is where you are _wrong_." Ray grinned and Alex furrowed her eyebrows.

"Who was stupid enough to tell you who they got?" Alex mumbled as she and Ray walked through the cafeteria doors. The cafeteria was usually the busiest place in school. If you weren't in a class, you were in the cafeteria buying a delicious cookie or disgusting meat of the day meal.

"Your cousin." Alex stopped abruptly in her tracks.

"Travis told you who he got." Ray nodded before sticking his hands in his jean pockets.

"Yeah, but only because he needed advice." Alex blinked hard again.

"_Travis_. Went to _you_. For _advice_?" Alex said in between stares. It wasn't long until she realized she may have said the wrong thing. Ray narrowed his eyebrows and pointed a finger at her.

"I'm not _that_ hopeless." Ray complained and Alex laughed before spotting an empty table. "Anyway he did come to me for advice." Alex put her canvas bag down on the table once they'd reached it and tugged out her wallet. She got out a ten-dollar bill, stood up and walked over to the cafeteria line. This was a daily routine for her and Ray. She saved a table for them, he went and waited in line, and she joined him when she was ready. He grinned at her when she stopped in front of him.

"Advice on what?" She continued, taking the tray Ray offered her. Ray had already filled his own tray with his favourites and was getting ready to pay.

"On a crush." Alex laughed again and almost dropped the apple she'd picked up.

"I thought you said he'd already got over that thing with Lily?" She asked and Ray rolled his eyes.

"No, no my simple minded friend. Another person." Ray said, receiving a softer than usual slug in the arm.

"Who?" She was certainly being persistent.

"You honestly think that _I'm _going to tell you?" Ray laughed and Alex smiled at him cheekily as he handed the lunch lady his money.

"Yes."

"Oh no, I'm not falling for the reverse psychology trick anymore Alex." Ray said with a tug of her hair.

"Damn it Ray!" Alex grumbled, stomping her foot as she paid for the chicken wrap, large chocolate milk and apple on her tray. He waited for her like he always did. Once she'd gotten the right amount of change they walked together towards the table Alex's bag had already reserved for them. Lily, Parker and Travis had already taken their seats. "Is it Audrey?" Ray shook his head.

"Nah, he's over her." Alex furrowed her eyebrows.

"Is it one of our friends?" Alex asked. Ray nodded calmly and she wondered if he even realized what he was doing. "You said he doesn't like Lily, not Audrey, he _can't_ like me because that's just illeg-" Alex looked up to see Parker sitting beside Travis, laughing at something he'd just said. Suddenly it clicked. "Parker?!" Ray's hand flew over her mouth.

"Be quiet!" He hissed and Alex's eyes went wide. _**Travis likes Parker** ** What is happening to sanity in this high school?** _"If Swammi finds out that I told you I'm dead meat! I swear!" Alex nodded after successfully getting Ray's hand off of her mouth.

"I know how to keep a secret. But the question is Raymond Stanley Brennan,_ can you_?" Alex smirked. She watched as his face melted into realization. **I knew it! He didn't realize what he was telling me. **His eyes went wide worriedly and she giggled lightly.

"Can I?" The worried question made her smile at him.

"Of course you can sweetie."

**_&&&&&&&&_**

"Alex!" Parker's greeting tested her abilities to not giggle and give herself, Ray, and her knowledge of the situation away.

"Parker!" Alex mirrored her greeted and plopped herself down in the seat beside Travis. His eyes were on her smiling face and she knew he was thinking. Finally the question came after she'd opened her chocolate milk.

"What are you so happy about?" Travis asked mystically. She giggled and shrugged, pushing her straw in the small carton.

"I don't know. I just am…" Alex trailed off as she looked up and saw River walking into the cafeteria with his entourage of fake, laughing bozos. "Not."

"Mood swing!" Parker exclaimed. The entire table seemed to grow silent as Alex grunted in reply. She opened her Chicken Cajun wrap and tried to focus on that instead of the problems swimming in her head. These problems, however, didn't shrink once she'd taken a bite of her wrap.

"ARGH! Plain lettuce!" Alex yelled in disgust as she swallowed it. She had been anticipating a mouthful of Cajun chicken. Instead, she'd gotten the first bite of the lettuce filling inside of it. Her friends began laughing as her scowl came back. "Shut up."

"You've always hated plain salad Alex." Travis pointed out as she took a sip of chocolate milk._ **Thank you Captain Obvious.**_

"It just brought my mood down along with seeing River." Alex mumbled. She knew that Parker was the only one at the table who would know why he would be annoying her more than usual. The blonde glanced up at her friend who formed an 'o' with her mouth before returning to her pudding. While Ray was more than happy to return to his French fries, Lily and Travis weren't so co-operative.

"What? Alex. What's going on with River?" Travis was a killer for questions. Alex sighed._ **To tell or not to tell? That is the question.** _She decided to tell them before plunging into the story from that morning.**_They would have pulled it out of me or Parker either way._ **

"He hit on you?" Lily's clarification made her roll her eyes.

"I guess," She mumbled while rubbing her neck. She could have literally counted the seconds leading up to Travis jumping out of his chair angrily. His protective side was always the first side to show. Alex's hand flew from her neck to his arm. "Travis! I do not need you getting into a fight with him over this. I could beat him up if I wanted to."

"Yeah Trav, just calm down. Alex has me and Robbie to beat him up for her if she needs it." Ray said through a smirk. She knew he had said it to pull a smile out of her, Alex only stared at him hard._ **I cannot believe he just said **his** name! That he would even...**_ Alex glared hard at Ray. Suddenly she was a lot angrier than she had been to begin with.

"I am perfectly able of taking care of myself!" She muttered through clenched teeth before standing up and slamming her chair back into the table. The blonde took her milk and apple in one flustered movement and left her friends shocked in the cafeteria.

**&&&&&&&&**

After Alex's number at the table, Ray took the first stab at an obvious question.

"What did I say?" Parker watched as Lily smacked his arm._ **He should definitely start thinking.**_

"More like why the hell did you say what you said?"

"Wow," Parker said with a sigh as Lily and Ray entered a heated argument as to "why you never think before speaking." "I never noticed how much poise and grace Alex carries. I mean, even when she's angry."

"That's from all her years in London with strict teachers and an insanely proper grandmother." Travis's voice caught her off guard and made her smile._ **Wow Haynes. You've got a lot to wish for.**_

**&&&&&&&&**

Robbie looked up from where he was standing behind the pillar as Alex stormed out of the cafeteria and found himself sighing. Hopefully, she would find his note in her faithful canvas bag she always carried around. He needed to talk to her, not only about the kiss but to figure out what to get her for Secret Santa.

"Alex, why do you have to be so confusing?" Robbie moaned quietly. He rested his head against the pillar and thought._ **If only I could-**_

"Alex?" Robbie's eyes widened at the sound of her voice. "Talking about Strong's cousin? Star of the tennis team?" Kim was standing in front of him with crossed arms and an odd expression. "The cute little jock?"

"Yeah, her." Robbie sighed while he tried not to blush._ **Please don't ask me why I was talking to myself about her.**_ Kim leaned against the pillar beside him. He could feel her eyes boring through his head and he blinked harder, trying to get the sensation off of him. Kim was the school's hot shot reporter. It would take every ounce of energy he had not to break under her questioning.

"Why were you talking about her?" Kim asked, looking around expectantly. "To apparently no one?"

"I got her for Secret Santa." Robbie replied quicker than he thought he would and he was thankful there was an excuse for thinking about Alex other than the kiss they had shared.

"You're doing that?" Kim scoffed a laugh at him and Robbie threw her an angry glance.

"My friends Parker and Lily issued it and said that we had no choice," Robbie sighed in annoyance. It bothered him that Kim didn't like his friends. However, they weren't the kindest in return. Kim immediately quieted. "Now I'm stuck with the hardest one of us all to crack." She stayed quiet for a beat before raising an eyebrow.

"Well, why don't you just ask her cousin to ask her for you?" Kim suggested and Robbie nodded. If only she knew that he wanted to actually communicate with Alex before the revealing instead of ignoring her until then. He still needed to know why she had kissed him.

"I don't know," Robbie looked at the clock. Lunch would be over soon and he had a science project to get ready for. "I've got to go check on the science project that I'm presenting next period. I'll see you later." He watched as Kim glanced around the room before quickly kissing his cheek. The annoyance built up again and he was sure it showed when he moved away almost as quickly as she'd gone to kiss him. Kim's startled eyes narrowed angrily.

"What's wrong with you?" She hissed. Robbie shrugged before finally making eye contact with her.

"I don't know. Just been feeling a bit under the weather I guess." Robbie muttered before pushing off the wall and walking out of the cafeteria. Behind him, Roscoe's Radio Queen stared at the back of his curly head scowling.

"What am I doing wrong Robbie?" she asked herself quietly. This relationship was ruining her life.

**&&&&&&&**

Alex was angrily searching for her Math Book in her bag when she found a letter. She didn't really know why she was looking for her Math book. She wasn't in dire need of it with her two last periods being English and Biology. It just gave her something to do other than standing in the middle of an empty hall, looking stupid to people walking down the hallway with a purpose.

_"**Alex**"_ She noticed Robbie's neat and proper writing at once and felt her stomach lurch._ "**I know that you've been trying to avoid me'**_- You have no idea how hard I've been trying-**'_and I know that I've been avoiding you as well. But I can't dodge the subject of what happened yesterday'_**- Tell me about it _-**'Like you said, it's stuck to the roof of my mind like peanut butter and won't let go. I desperately want to talk to you about the affectionate kiss we shared'**_-So do I**-'_and I would also like to know why you kissed me. If you have any more-than-friends feelings towards me'_**-Oh Robbie, if you only knew how I feel about you**-'_and even if you don't, I'll meet you after your tennis practice today to talk. Hope you'll be there. –Robbie'_**"

Alex's mind started racing and she immediately felt like throwing up. She had never intended on telling Robbie how she felt about him, especially now. **_Damn it Ray, look what trouble you've got me into now._**

"You? And McGrath?" Alex spun around and stared hard at the person who had been listening to her read her letter._ **Not him…not now…**_

**&&&&&&&&**

Robbie ran down the hall and hoped he wouldn't charge into someone. He couldn't stop his feet from running no matter how hard he tried to. It was as if his mind was on overdrive and was ordering his feet to go. However he did something unexpected when he heard two voices in the next hall to his right. His feet stopped and he hit the corner of the wall. The voices were arguing. He recognized one of the angry voices as a certain female's voice he was looking for.

"River, it's not what you think." Alex started quietly. Robbie furrowed his brow in confusion. Alex Strong and River Pierce were having an emotionally heated argument.

"No Alex. I think that it's exactly what I think," River sneered back. Robbie's confusion deepened when Alex sighed in defeat. "The letter? McGrath wrote it to you, didn't he?" Robbie closed his eyes and sighed. Alex had always read out loud and expressed her feelings unless she was deep in thought. She mustn't have been when reading the letter he'd written to her.

"Maybe." Alex said shortly and Robbie felt a weight lift off his shoulders. River would have to pry deeply into Alex's mind to get the answer to the question. Although, the possibility of there being another Robbie McGrath Alex knew was very slim.

"It is. I can see it in your eyes," River said accusingly. Robbie held his breath and waited eagerly for an answer. She remained silent and it was obvious she was confused. "The, uh, what was it? Very affectionate kiss you shared? You shared an affectionate kiss with that kid?" Alex remained silent and Robbie suddenly wanted to beat River to pulp for taunting such a strong girl such as her with his unfair eavesdropping. **_And you're doing what exactly at the present moment? _**

"What's it to you?" Alex finally spoke and River laughed hollowly.

"What's it to me? Nothing." River said flatly and Robbie heard the smirk in his voice. "But I know a certain Miss Carlisle that would love to know about her boyfriend's doings." Robbie's jaw tightened. **_How does he know about us?_**

_"_River please. Don't tell her." Alex's pleading voice was surprising to Robbie's ears. "Please, do not tell Kim. It was just some stupid-"

"Tell her?" River mocked her out of pleasure. "Now, why would I tell her? We're only spending two weeks together on a ship." He heard Alex whimper helplessly. River's breath seemed to tighten to Robbie and he winced. Alex didn't whimper or break when it came to anyone. She was too strong to whimper and break.

"Please River. I'll do anything. Just don't tell Kim." Alex's pleading hit Robbie in hard doses. He felt somewhat responsible for putting her through all of this._ **You're feeling guilty why? She's the one who did this to you.**_

"I don't like seeing a strong girl cry, Alex." River's tone had changed from taunting to gentle. Robbie wondered how he'd been able to poke at her before quickly turning to comfort her. "I have a compromise."

"What?" The annoyance hidden in her voice made Robbie smile slightly._ **Same old Alex Strong.**_

"If you'll spend this afternoon with me at Mickey's, I'll reconsider not spilling to Kim." River said slowly, as if he was scared she'd slug his face. Robbie waited for Alex's answer and held his breath. **_You don't have to do this for me._**

"I'll do it." Alex's voice was almost cut off by the bell, but Robbie heard her quieted answer. **_This isn't right._**


	5. Brightly Wound

**_Wham_**. Alex hit the tennis ball hard with her racket. Her opponent was Stam, who figured she was having a bad day and was trying her hardest to keep up with Alex's hard hits. **_Wham_**. Alex hit the ball again, sending it flying towards Sam. When she hit the ball, she felt the day's frustrations slowly melt.

"Good job Alex." Stam called from the other end of the gym and Alex nodded in reply. **_Wham_**. She'd agreed to go on a date…with River. She was still in a state of shock, and had thought of not showing up when Robbie and Kim flashed in her mind. She was doing it for the couple she'd tried to break up with the kiss…with Ray's dare. She was doing it for Robbie…to make him happy. **_Wham_**.

"Wrap it up! Practice is over for today!" River's call rang through the gym. Alex looked over at him and studied him. Dirty blonde hair that was spiky, gray brown eyes, a sturdy build and a killer smile, River was very good looking. But it was his arrogance and personality that made him ugly to Alex. "Alex," River approached her while she packed her stuff into her duffel bag. She paused for a minute, looking up and replying to him.

"Yeah?" she said, continuing to back away her stuff.

"You didn't forget our date, did you?" he asked almost nervously and Alex breathed out a laugh.

"Not a chance." She said. There was no way in the world she'd be able to forget what she was regretting to do.

"Good. Now, I'll give you half an hour to get ready and get to Mickey's. I'll be waiting there okay?" River asked and Alex nodded with out looking at him. "Okay. See you soon." What he did next was very bold. He leaned in a kissed her cheek quickly. She froze at this and he smiled at her before walking out of the gym.

"Crap!" Alex yelled in frustration, kicking the bench in front of her and wincing in regret from her throbbing toe. "Calm down Alex." She muttered, limping towards the change room. "Your last name isn't Strong for nothing."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Robbie sighed, cramming his hands together. He was sitting on the bottom bleacher in the gym, waiting for Alex to come and talk. It had been fifteen minutes since he'd arrived and Robbie was finally beginning to doubt that she was coming.

"Robbie." His head spun around and he saw Alex. He gasped in spite of himself when he saw her. She'd flipped out her hair and put on more makeup than usual, exaggerating her woodsy green eyes. She was wearing a nice black shirt and a pair of dark jeans and she had her duffel bag and her long black coat and canvas bag on one arm. She looked absolutely gorgeous.

"Hey." Robbie said, his voice shaking. He hadn't thought he would be nervous…and he had been entirely wrong. She opened her mouth to talk, but closed it suddenly, looking down sharply. This silence was becoming awkward and neither of the two friends could think of what to say.

"Have you seen Travis around here?" she asked and Robbie shook his head.

"No. No I haven't." he confirmed and Alex nodded, lifting up her duffel bag, which was set in the opposite hand from her canvas bag and coat.

"He was supposed to…" she started, but stopped when the door behind her opened. Travis came bustling in, winter gear on.

"Alex." Travis said, walking over to her. He suddenly acknowledged Robbie and cast a suspicious eye at Alex before shaking his head quickly. "Robbie."

"Hey Trav." Robbie said, knowing that Travis didn't have any idea at what was going on.

"Here Monsieur." Alex said, handing him the duffel bag. "Just stick it in my room or on my bed."

"Got it." Travis said, taking the bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me where you're going?"

"Just on a friend date. It's nothing." Alex said, dodging the question carefully. Robbie winced again. She was doing all this for River, all this just to cover up to Kim.

"Okay. Well, just phone me when you're coming home so I can start dinner." Travis said and Alex nodded, patting her pocket. Robbie knew that she had her Much Music cell phone in her pocket and he'd heard too many times the familiar MOD theme song ring.

"Got it. What are we having?" Alex asked and Travis smiled.

"Home made Chinese." Travis said and Alex smiled warmly.

"Oh…I'd love you forever if you'd make your sweet and sour sauce Travis." Alex said and Travis nodded, putting an arm around her.

"Of course." Travis said and she smiled sweetly.

"Thank you."

"No problem." Travis said and he sighed. "Well, I'd better leave you two…uh…never mind. See you." Travis started walking and paused. "Robbie, you aren't coming today are you?" Robbie shook his head wordlessly and Travis nodded before walking out.

"What aren't you going to?" Alex asked and Robbie winced. All the members of RFR had agreed not to tell Alex about their secret. It was hard, but they got it past.

"Nothing. Study group thing." Robbie said, not looking her in the eye. Alex nodded, sitting beside him. "So…"

"So. What did you want to talk about?" Alex asked and Robbie sighed. She'd make this unbearable for him.

"Why did you…" he started and Alex sighed before answering.

"It was a dare." She stated and Robbie blinked hard.

"What?" he asked.

"It was a dare. The kiss, it was all planned." Alex said and Robbie rubbed his hands together. _But there was something there…there had been affection._ "Ray found out about you and Kim, and well he got to his crazy antics. He knew that I can't resist a dare…especially to something that I wanted." Robbie froze at the last words and Alex hit her head. "Crap."

"So you had felt something? You had _wanted _that and you had felt affection?" Robbie asked and Alex stood up, pulling on her jacket and scarf. "Alex, don't run away from me here."

"I've stayed too long." She said and she started to walk, making Robbie jump up and grab her wrist. He was beginning to feel emotions for this girl…emotions that were confusing him.

"Alex." Robbie warned and she turned her eyes to see him. "You don't have to go to Mickey's with River. Not for me and Kim."

"Robbie," Alex said harshly and Robbie felt goose bumps ride up his arms when she said his name. "You and Kim are _happy_. That's what I want. For you to be _happy_." Robbie loosened his grip on her wrist.

"You don't have to do this just to keep it safe. She'll find out eventually…" Robbie said and Alex took his loose grip as an invitation to leave. "Alex!" She ran out into the hall of the school and pulled on her mitts. "Alex stop!" He reached her at the front doors of the school and jerked her around to face him. The students that had been lingering in the hall had scampered away quickly. The students at Roscoe high were very timid when it came to fights.

"Robbie just leave me alone." Alex said, looking at him. Even though he was a year younger than she was, he was incredibly tall, towering over her.

"I can't. And you don't have to do this, not for me. The kiss…" he started and she stepped back from him.

"Was a mistake. The kiss was just stupid." Alex said, looking down. He'd noticed the tears welling up in her eyes. "Just a stupid dare." She looked up and he noticed the two lone tears on either side of her face.

"Alex…" Robbie started and she wiped away the tears furiously. She was strong, but she had been slowly softening…which was good in a way, but threatening.

"I can't do this. Not to you." she whispered before turning around and running out of the school. This time, Robbie didn't try to stop her. He didn't know if he could. She was running away from him…and running away from herself.


	6. She Will Be Loved

Alex walked quickly down the street, arms crossed and a sad expression glued onto her face. Her emotions were getting tangled…and she'd just had the first emotional break down in her life. To describe her feelings at the present moment was to be saying that she was dazed and confused. She had no idea what to do.

"Pull yourself together Strong, you need to make it through this date." Alex muttered to herself and Mickey's came into view. She could turn, right now, go home and have a nice bath. She could leave it behind her. But, turning and running would start a squabble at school seeing as everything spread as fast as wildfire at Roscoe High. Especially if River Pierce was the issuer.

"Alex! Over here!" River called the second she got in the doorway. She tried to plaster a smile on her face, but it wouldn't work. Her face remained dazed, something that was only pulled on when she was far away… "You're five minutes late." Alex's eyes flew up to River and she sighed heavily. She felt rather weak and drained, very unlike her usual jumpy self.

"I slipped on the way here and dropped my bag." She said quietly and he nodded, suspicion rising in his expression. "Honestly." She really had slipped, but she hadn't dropped her bag. December's were always icy in Roscoe, so she'd taken her time to get there.

"Did I say anything?" he rounded off to her and she sighed again. "Come, let's sit over there." River put his arm around her and guided her over to a table near the small stage that Mickey's Open Mike nights were always held on. They sat down and Alex clicked her heels together, looking anywhere but River's face. He was apparently nervous as well as she was.

"So…" Alex sighed, looking at River. Maybe conversation would be easier if she did look at him. She hoped her expression looked interested in being there, which was quite the opposite of what she was feeling. She'd escaped Robbie at school only to run into River at Mickey's. She'd unfortunately failed to escape herself.

"You were hitting the ball really hard today Alex." River said and Alex felt heat rise to her cheeks. He knew her well enough to know that she only did that when she was frustrated. "Something on your mind?"

"No." Alex answered the question too quickly and she sighed. River would figure something was definitely wrong eventually.

"Are you sure?" he asked. If this was his idea of small talk, he was really blowing it with her.

"Yes." She said quickly again and he stood up. "Where are you going?" River smiled at her.

"Would you like a drink?" he said. She pulled on half of a smile and nodded. He could be a complete idiot one minute, then a complete sweet heart the next.

"Could I have a frozen hot chocolate?" Her head was throbbing from stress and she needed to calm down.

"Yeah, sure." He said, walking away and she smiled. This wasn't _so_ bad…

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Robbie walked into Mickey's after looking around for where Kim was sitting, then for where Alex and River were sitting. They were out of the way and Kim hadn't seemed to notice them, thankfully. He walked in, keep his head down and speeding up to get to the table quickly.

"Hey there." Kim said when he sat down and moved his chair over so as the pillar in front of him would block his face from Alex. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Robbie said just a bit too quickly and he looked up at Kim sheepishly. "I mean, I'm just moving closer to you." She smirked, moving her chair closer to his.

"On the contrary, you were moving _farther_ from me." She said, raising her eyebrows and Robbie mentally kicked himself. He had hated to see Alex in a state like that and it had frazzled him. He noticed River get up, more than likely to get drinks and Kim seemed to want to do the same. "Now that you're finally here, would you like a drink?"

"Yeah sure. Hot chocolate is fine." He muttered, not taking his eyes off the sugar tin in front of him. He'd found that more interesting than Kim's face, because he hated lying to her and would burst out with the truth if he did.

"Are you going to go get the drinks?" Kim asked again and Robbie glanced quickly at her.

"Well, I would, but my feet are really sore and…" he started and she sighed, standing up.

"Think I can take a hint. Besides, it's my turn to buy any way." Kim said before retreating and Robbie watched her leave, feeling a sigh of relief wash over him. He needed to think, and he'd thought about calling and canceling their daily date at Mickey's. But then, he'd thought about the hallway argument and couldn't face not coming. He owed it to Alex to make sure that River didn't go _too_ far on this date.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

"One frozen hot chocolate for the madam, free of charge." He said and she smiled sweetly. For something that was held up for ransom, he was being awfully sweet about it. She accepted the drink and took a long sip before setting it down on the table.

"Thanks." She said and he smiled, sitting down and sipping his frozen cappuccino. There was a long silence between them and Alex shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she drank the cold substance. It had calmed down her headache and helped her a lot.

"Well, you'll never guess who I saw at the front counter." River said and Alex put down her half down drink. She didn't bother to say anything, because she knew she'd get the answer any way. "Sophie, Kyra, Devon and Chase." Alex perked up a bit. She always loved seeing her tennis mates.

"Really?" she asked and River nodded. "What did they have to say?" River had a smile playing on his lips when he answered.

"They told me that I picked a good match." River said and Alex raised an eyebrow. She didn't understand. What did he mean?

"Good match? Sorry, I don't know what you mean. In tennis?" she asked puzzled and he smiled, reaching forward and touching her hand that was on the table affectionately.

"Good match, as in me and you Alex." River said and she blushed furiously.

"Um…" she breathed heavily and she saw Robbie stand up in a chair. He looked almost protective as he gazed at her and she blinked back the burning moisture running to her eyes. _Don't cry Strong, don't cry…_

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ray sighed, waiting desperately for the song that had just begun to end. Alex would be on her date now, sitting with River…hopefully not doing anything that she would regret. He looked up at the pretty blonde sitting to his right. Lily, Shady Lane, was twiddling her fingers together an he knew she was thinking about Alex as well.

"Lily, is the song ready?" Ray asked and she nodded.

"If we can just get a message to her…don't do it Alex! Don't go too far!" Lily said dramatically and Ray nodded. Travis looked up from his booth and sent a curious eye between the two DJ's.

"What has she done and gotten herself into now?" Travis asked and Lily sighed.

"Again, he was left in the dark…" she muttered and Ray held back a laugh, covering it with several small coughs. Travis sent them a stern look and Lily straightened up. "Well, she might've _accidentally _told River that she and Robbie kissed, and then might've agreed to go on a date with him and is at Mickey's with him right now."

"What!" The song ended and Pronto came on.

"Okay! This next song is sort of an old one, but hey, it's a goodie. And we're receiving this request from Lily Randal, Ray Brenann, and Travis Strong. They're sending it to their dear friend Alex Strong who is undergoing a dilemma probably right now. Here's Kelly Clarkson's 'The Trouble With Love'." Pronto said. Smog hit the button and came off directly.

"What is going on here?"

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Alex froze when she heard her best friend's names on the radio followed by her own. RFR had been playing and soon 'The Trouble With Love' came on. Alex remained frozen, but her eyes flowed towards a couple that had begun to dance. She looked towards Robbie and caught his gaze. He had not lifted his eyes from her yet.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

_Radio Free Roscoe Wearhouse Party, several months previous:_

"Can I have this dance Alex?" Robbie held his hand out towards Alex. She looked up to him, surprised. Alex had secretly wished for him to ask her, but she'd never thought it would happen.

"Of course." She accepted his hand and stood up, following him to the small and crowded dance floor. Wrapping her arms tightly around him, she stood close to him as the song, "The Trouble With Love" played slowly in the back round. It was one of the few songs that weren't mixed by Smog and she was grateful for it. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she shivered from the goose bumps riding up her arms.

"So Robbie, how has your date been going?" Alex asked, trying to not be jealous by the fact she'd come alone. Robbie smirked, looking over at his blonde headed date. Alex noticed Erin from the tennis team, though she hardly had ever spoken to the girl.

"Erin is…well nice. But I would've rather have came here with you." Robbie said and Alex's heart jumped. Did he really mean it?

"Wh-what do you mean?" she said, mentally slapping herself for stuttering.

"I mean, I would've rather come with a friend." Robbie clarified and Alex sighed, disappointedly. He, thankfully, hadn't detected the disappointment in her sigh, or the way her shoulders fell slightly.

"Oh." She whimpered and he smiled.

"Yeah. But if I hadn't asked, Ray wouldn't have gotten to go with Paige…" Robbie started and Alex finished for him.

"To make Lily jealous." Robbie laughed, nodding.

"Yeah. And the whole time she wasn't even here. She had to visit her grandma." Robbie said and Alex furrowed her brow.

"No, it was her Aunt. Her Aunt Janet came into town." Alex said and Robbie flushed before shaking his head and nodding.

"Yeah, right. Her Aunt." Robbie's voice was high and sort of squeaky and she wondered why he was lying. They seemed to not talk for a bit and Alex sighed. _Think of something to say…_ "Alex?"

"Hmm?" He paused, looking her up and down before answering with softness in his eyes.

"You look _really _beautiful tonight." He said quietly and she smiled, blushing. She'd just put on a pinch more make up and curled her hair…

"Thanks." She said quietly and she looked him up and down as well. "So do you." She reddened quickly. "I mean you look handsome. Handsome." He laughed softly and pulled her a bit closer.

"Thanks." She felt their faces drawing closer together…and closer…and closer….

"Alex!"

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Alex blinked back tears. So many memories were linked to this song and she was angry for them requesting it. She hadn't even noticed that River had pulled her up to dance with him. She knew she had agreed, but she hadn't felt herself move or anything.

"Alex, are you feeling okay? All the color just drained out of your face." River noticed and Alex looked back at him.

"I'm feeling…" her throat choking her voice cut her off. Robbie was staring at her from the shoulder of Kim and she bit her lip. This was too much to handle in one day. The song ended and she heard a few people clapping but when River let go of her, she cried out in a sob.

"Alex?" River put a worried hand on her shoulder. She blinked back the larger tears. She couldn't cry again.

"Could we please go somewhere? Anywhere but here?" she pleaded with him and he stared at her scared.

"Of course." He said. He went and got her jacket and her bag and she finished the rest of her drink nervously. It calmed her flip flopping stomach down and she set the cup on the table as she pulled on her coat, mitts and hat. She picked up her canvas bag and grabbed River's wrist. "Thought of anywhere to go?" She needed to think, to clear her mind. She needed to go to the Roscoe Observation Desk.

"Yeah, I have." She pulled him along and out the door, only turning around when she heard a voice call her.

"Alex!" Robbie was staring at her dumbfounded. She felt the cold sting her cheeks and already she felt herself leave herself back at Mickey's.


	7. The Trouble With Love

"Alex! Slow down!" She heard River yell to her, but she didn't listen to him. There was only one place she wanted to go at the moment. And that was the Roscoe Observation Deck. "Alex!" River had caught up to her, spinning her around.

"What?" she said quietly and he looked at her with concerned eyes.

"You're crying." River said, gently wiping a tear off of her face. Alex shivered a bit and wiped away the rest of the tears. She had had no idea she'd been crying.

"Oh. I didn't even notice." She said, as if it was nothing. But it was…it really was. And River unfortunately knew it.

"Alex, what's wrong?" he asked quietly, looking down. "Was it me?" Alex shook her head strongly.

"No, it's not you River." He looked up at her, questioningly. "It's me." She turned around and began to walk slowly, seeing the welcoming white staircase only a few steps in front of her.

"You?" he asked and she nodded.

"Me." She didn't say anything until they reached the stairs. "I made a huge mistake."

"A huge mistake?" His voice was confused and she began to climb the stairs, hearing the hallow steel stairs clanging from her steps. His steps echoed after her. "Care to tell me what that mistake is?"

"Not really." Alex snapped at him and she winced. She was being awfully snappy to him and he really didn't deserve it.

"Fine." He said stiffly and she sighed.

"River, I'm sorry." She said, stopping and turning around. "I've been horrible to you this whole time." He laughed, walking up and grabbing her hand.

"No, no you haven't Alex." He said. She looked away from his gaze and continued up the stairs. She knew that he didn't _mean _to make her uncomfortable, but she just was. River had been acting completely different from his usual self, the whole time.

"Come on. There's a great view from the top." She said after not hearing his footsteps follow her. As they continued to climb to the top, River sighed.

"I've never been here before." He said and Alex pulled on a determined face.

"Really? It's one of my favorite places in all of Roscoe." She smiled as she felt her emotions relaxing when she reached the top step. If she could choose one place in the world that was her sanctuary, the Roscoe Observation Deck would be her choice.

"Cool." River said smoothly, following her to her favorite spot. The place beside the telescope. "Wow, this is a great view." From this spot, you could see all of downtown Roscoe and the forests beyond it.

"Tell me about it." Alex sighed, crossing her arms and leaning them onto the ledge in front of her. He did the same, sighing deeply and looking side ways at Alex. She shifted uncomfortably. She knew that he was going to say something, seeing as he kept on starting, then stopping.

"Alex?" he found the easiest word to say and she continued to stare out at the town instead of looking towards him.

"Yes River." She stated more than asked. A part of her knew what was coming. But the part that actually counted to her was still in the fog.

"Um…" He looked at her desperately. "Can you please just…" She turned her head to him and stared at him impatiently.

"Sure." He paused, not knowing how to begin.

"I don't know if you know, but there is a reason I chose the ransom to be a date." River said, his hand slowly inching towards hers. She took a slight warning to this, but not wanting to be abrupt by moving her hand away. So she kept it wear it was.

"Really?" She had tried to stop it from coming out of her mouth, but it she hadn't managed to.

"Yeah." His hand had reached hers, and he grabbed it tenderly. "Alex, I think I…"

Alex took in a loud, shuddering breath, making him stop. She realized what she had done and added a fake shiver to it. "Sorry," she said. "I was just really cold." She waited a beat before speaking again. "Go on."

"Okay. Well, I think I…I think I really…" He paused, squeezing her hand a bit. "I think I've really fallen hard for you." Alex stared at him blankly and he tried to smile. The silence grew longer with every second and he finally spoke. "Alex?"

"Are you sure?" she said suddenly and he looked at her confused.

"Excuse me…"

"Are you _sure _that you really like me?" she repeated, clarifying the question. He scoffed out a laugh.

"What do you mean, am I sure that I really like you? Of course! Why do you think I would tell you that if I didn't?" Alex stared at him, with a hard expression dripped on her face.

"I've been fooled before." Alex said coldly and he stopped smiling. "You're different River. If you hadn't noticed it." River straightened up, attempting to smile again.

"I always have to put a mask on at school." He said, inching closer to her. A slight alarm went off in her head, but she shook it off. "What you're seeing…that's the _real me_, Alex. It's the _real me_."

"How do I know that?" she asked and he leaned closer to her. A tad bit louder, but not loud enough.

"Would I lie to you…." he was cut off by his lips meeting hers. The alarm was blaring now and she could no longer ignore it, especially now. After about 15 seconds, Alex pulled away, horrified. If he couldn't read her expression she knew she had, he would be an idiot.

"I can't do this…" she said, turning slowly and beginning to run. River chased after her a few steps, but then stopped. She was already down the first two steps.

"Alex!"


	8. Don't Know Why

"Alex!" **Bang**,** bang**,** bang**. "Alex!"

_I waited till I saw the sun, I don't know why I didn't come, _

_I left you by the house of fun, I don't know why I didn't come, I don't know why I didn't come,_

_When I saw the break of day, I wished that I could fly away, _

_Instead of kneeling in the sand, Catching tear drops in my hands,_

"Alex, please open the door!" Alex could hear Travis perfectly well. She'd come home to find him getting out the ingredients for Chinese food and had attempted to sneak upstairs unnoticed, but it unfortunately didn't work. He'd asked her what was wrong and she'd ran upstairs, grabbed her robe and pajamas and ran into the bathroom. She need a deep bubble bath.

_My heart is drenched in wine, _

_You'll be on my mind forever,_

Alex sighed, just sinking deeper into the bath as she listened to the smooth tunes of Norah Jones's old, but wonderful CD, Come Away With Me. She plopped it in the CD player, before she got into the large vintage bath, filled with luxurious vanilla bubble bath.

"Alex!" There was a silence and she opened her eyes. Was he _finally _giving up? "Do you want dinner now?" She sunk further in the bath.

"No." she said quietly and she heard him sigh.

"Okay. Well, I was just going to tell you I'm not going to make it right now. There's a Gandhi special on TV so I'll watch that and make it at seven. Okay?" Travis's voice came through the door and rang in her ears. His mom and dad…her aunt and uncle…were away in London. She loved them, but they were hardly ever home and it was usually just her and Travis at the Strong residence. Not that she minded.

Out across the endless sea, I would die in ecstasy, But I'll be a bag of bones, Driving down the road alone,   
"Okay." She answered and she knew what was coming next.   
"Are you okay?" he asked and she closed her eyes.   
"I'm fine."   
"Are you sure…"   
"Trav, I'll tell you later okay? Right now, I just need to think." She said almost impatiently. He was always so secretive, but he never would dream of interrupting ones thinking. Which in this case, was a great thing.   
"Okay. I'll just be downstairs is you need me." He said quietly and she nodded, forgetting he couldn't see her. The warm water was calming her down…slowly but surely.   
My heart is drenched in wine, You be **on** my mind forever,   
River had kissed her. River Pierce…the most wanted guy in probably all of Roscoe had kissed her…said he had feelings for her. This was just all too weird. She stretched, getting rid of the kinks in her back and her neck. She sighed, sinking back into the bubbles and the water.   
"How can I deal with this?" she asked herself, breathing in the scent of vanilla.   
Something has to make you run, I don't know why I didn't come, I feel as empty as a drum, I don't know why I didn't come, I don't know why I didn't come, I don't know why I didn't come…   
"Travis might know." She reassured herself. "He always has some good advice. But then Lily and Parker might as well…" 

Travis set out two place mats on the small, black coffee table from China. He'd decorated it with Chinese themed cutlery and napkins, something to make Alex a bit happier than she'd sounded. Something had happened, and he thought it had to do with the date with River. His fists clenched at this. If he'd done something to hurt her… 

"Travis!" Alex's soft voice cooed from the living room doorway. "You shouldn't have."

"Anything to make you smile." He said and she smiled meekly. "Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. What's wrong?" She fumbled with the cuff of her long silk robe she had on over her pajamas. She turned around and started walking towards the kitchen.

"It smells really good Trav. I'll put it out." Alex said and he chased after her. She was carefully dancing around the subject, but he knew he could chase her to breaking point.

"Alex, don't dodge the subject." He said as he reached the kitchen. She was ladling the steaming sweet and sour sauce out onto the chicken rolls he'd made. She'd gotten most of the stuff out onto the plates he'd set out and she paused, holding the ladle over the pot so the sauce wouldn't drip onto the stove.

"I'll tell you later Travis." She said quietly, looking up at him and looking back down. He went to protest but she stopped him again. "While we're eating." Travis helped her bring the meals into the living room. When they got there, he turned on the stereo and pressed the play button.

The smooth sound of Kelly Clarkson's song Low came on and Travis smiled. Alex's Favorites Mix she'd spent all summer making.

"So, what's wrong?"

"This is Lily." Lily answered her cell phone. "Oh hey Travis."

"Lily, I really need to talk to you." Travis said. Lily sighed.

"Sure. I'm just on my way to Parker's house. We're planning on going Secret Santa shopping." Lily said. She heard Travis sigh and she wondered what was so important. "So what's up?"

"She wanted to talk to you herself, but she was so pale. So I made her lie down and watch a movie." Travis said and Lily's breath quickened.

"Alex? Are you talking about Alex?" she asked and Travis scoffed under his breath.

"Of course I'm talking about Alex." He said and Lily moaned apologetically.

"Sorry." She said and he sighed again.

"It's okay. But it's about her date…"

"He what!" Parker exclaimed as she almost dropped a Zen candle she'd been holding in her hand.

"I know! He kissed her!" Lily said, picking up a coffee mug, then putting it down. They'd been shopping for about 10 minutes when Lily had brought up what Travis had told her.

"That's insane!" Parker said, putting the Zen candle down. She was concerned about Alex now. She'd been a wreck when she'd seen her before her tennis practice.

"Ooo, that's cute." Lily said, picking something up before shaking her head and putting it back down. "Never mind." Parker laughed, then returned to all seriousness.

"Well, I'll talk to her tomorrow. She what she feels." Parker said, looking up at Lily, who merely nodded and continued looking.

"Travis sounded really worried. He's such a good cousin." Lily said, smiling. "They've got such a strong bond."

"Yeah." Parker said, blushing a bit. She would tell Lily how she felt about Travis. She would. "Lil?"

"Yes?" Lily asked, looking up at her. Parker blushed even more.

"I need to tell you something."

Ray accepted the hard slug he received in the arm. He deserved it…but it wasn't entirely his fault.

"Ouch! Okay, Alex, I'm sorry I did that! I didn't know!" Ray yelled as he coward in front of another clenched fist. She paused, stopping and falling back onto the couch. The soft sounds of the romance scene in the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers played softly in the back round and Alex watched that for a minute. Her green eyes weren't glaring at him for once and she sighed, looking at the screen. Ray sat down beside her, watching the movie as well.

"Ray…"

"So he kissed you?" he asked her. She'd left his name hanging and she knew that she'd just gotten lost in thought.

"Yeah." She glanced at him. "I don't want to talk about it now though." She was beginning to sound sleepy. He looked at her and noticed her cheeks were flushed.

"Alex, are you feeling okay? You look kind of…flushed." Ray said, putting a hand to her head. "Alex, you're burning up!" She couldn't be her normal temperature. She was getting a fever.

"I'm fine Ray…honestly, trust me on this. I should know."


	9. Vertigo

"You're _not_ going to school." Alex glared hard at Travis. She was standing in the middle of the kitchen, arms crossed and a calm, but hard look on her face. Her head was spinning, and she was getting hot then suddenly cold, but she would not let him win. She felt _fine_.

"Travis…" she started, her voice ten times quieter than usual. "I'm fine."

"Sure you are Alex. And I'm king of the world." He said sarcastically and she narrowed her eyes at him, making the burning sensation that had inhabited them sting harder.

"Well, you're sure acting like it." she snapped at him and he sighed, looking down.

"You're not feeling fine. Ray said that you were burning up last night, and you're as pale as a ghost." Travis said, looking back up and reaching to touch her forehead. Alex swatted his hand away angrily and tried her best to glare at him, but her head began spinning.

"I'm fine!" she said, taking in a sharp breath. The dizziness simmered down a bit, but she could still feel it spinning in her head. Travis looked at her pleadingly.

"Just let me take your temperature and then we can decide…" he started but she stamped her foot on the ground and gasped in a lash of anger.

"Travis! You don't control me! You can't make me not go to school!" Alex yelled (though it was hard because her voice had been put on a quiet tone) and Travis leaned back in astonishment. She wasn't usually like this, and she knew it, but he couldn't stop her from going to school. "And I'm older than you too!" She stormed out of the room, running upstairs and slamming her bedroom door.

"Alex!" She ignored the call from him and moved to her desk at her window. As she began to slowly gather up her things, something outside caught her eye.

"Ray?" she asked herself as she stared out the window. Ray was standing at his window, staring back at her, making notions with his hands. She squinted to see what he was mouthing.

"Do-you-want-to-walk-to-school-with-me?" She read it clearly a couple times and gave him thumbs up before grabbing the rest of her books and shoving them in her bag. After she'd pulled on her jacket and her scarf and mitts, Alex checked her reflection in the mirror before turning and walking out of the room.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**Slam**! Ray jumped as the door to the Strong's house opened and slammed shut, letting a very distant looking Alex out of it.

"Hey." She said quietly when she reached him and he studied her face. It had lost most of its color over night.

"Hello." He said, stretching the word out as they began to walk down the pathway. She seemed to be lost in thought as they reached the sidewalk, so Ray decided to start the conversation, a task he'd seemed to grow on since his days on RFR. "Why so glum chum?"

"Travis." She mumbled and he sighed. Troubles with the Strong cousins…something that happened very rarely. Alex looked up at him, and Ray sent her a sympathetic glance. Partially because of Travis…and partially because her face matched the color of the snow on the ground.

"Oh." He waited a few beats until saying his next question. "You feeling okay? You look a bit…under the weather." He looked around him, regretting his choice of words. The weather today was terrible.

"I feel a bit flushed, but I'm fine, I promise. I'm just…" She paused, looking for the right word. "Tired." Ray nodded, but he didn't agree with her. She'd felt like a furnace last night and she had fallen asleep on his lap…something the regular Alex would never have done.

"Oh, okay." He said, not wanting to further her bad mood. "So, how are you going to avoid River…and Robbie today?" Alex sighed and Ray noticed her eyes gloss over.

"I don't know. But you have to promise to help me Ray. From both of them, okay?" She was pleading with him. Ray put a reassuring arm around Alex's shoulder.

"Don't worry A. I will." He assured her and she smiled, letting her head rest on the top of his shoulder. Ray looked down at her and winced. She looked tired and pale…but still very pretty, something it would take the worst of situations to make happen.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Parker yawned, covering her mouth and lazily putting it back on her desk. History, to her, was the most boring subject on the face of the earth. Not that she didn't respect history, for she did, but when it was just about how Roscoe had become, the interest level slipped past the bottom level and out of her mind's grasp.

Beside her sat Travis, whose straight posture and attentiveness made Parker envy his attention skills. Parker found herself glance over at him now and then and smile, thinking of the wonderful gift she'd bought him the night previously.

"Class dismissed." Mr. Polchazack's voice rang around the quiet room and it was suddenly filled with noise as the bell rang seconds later.

"Hey Parker." Parker faltered in picking up her books. She turned her head to see Travis standing beside her, a nervous and worried look on his face. She recognized this immediately and swirled around to face him.

"Hey. What's up?" she asked and he sighed, rubbing his head.

"It's Alex." He said. Parker raised her eyebrows and collected her books in her arms.

"What about Alex?" she asked, her voice dripped with worry. She'd been so quiet this morning when they'd had breakfast together in the cafeteria and she was as white as a ghost. Plus, she'd pushed away a home baked cinnamon roll with extra icing, her favorite thing to eat for breakfast, which was extremely rare. Parker had guessed something was up.

"She blew up at me this morning when I suggested she didn't go to school." Travis said, nodding his head towards the door. Parker began to walk towards it, but kept her focus on the matter in front of her.

"Because she's sick?" Parker asked, turning her head quickly back to him.

"Yes. And the only one that doesn't seem to know is herself." Travis said, a tone of frustration deep in his voice. Parker sighed, staring hard at the ground as they walked out of the classroom and into the busy hall of students.

"Alex has always been like that. Reluctant to anything that held her back." Parker said sadly and Travis nodded. "And that whole thing with River and Robbie hasn't been helping either."

"Exactly. I wish that they would both just lay off." Travis mumbled and Parker suppressed a laugh.

"That's your protective side talking…which is exactly why Ray and Lily didn't want you knowing about the dare." Travis looked up at her and she shrugged. "Just saying the truth Travis." There was silence as they made their way to the cafeteria. It was lunchtime.

"Am I too protective?" Travis questioned as they entered the cafeteria. Parker looked at him.

"I personally think it's sweet." She said, trying to be helpful, but he just looked down. "Alex is lucky to have a cousin like you."

"I guess." Parker sent him a sympathetic glance before looking around.

"Speaking of Alex…where is she?"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Alex put her head against the cool wall and sighed in relief. It calmed down the spinning and the roaring of her headache…not that she wanted anyone to know that she was feeling ill. Travis had been right…she should've just stayed home.

"Alex?" She straightened up. She couldn't mistake that voice for anyone else other than the owner. Knowing this is why she didn't answer. "Can we talk?"

"Why, Robbie?" she asked, turning around to face him. When she did, she saw his head move back abruptly, as if she had surprised him. She knew the answer to that response…her face was extremely pale.

"Are you feeling okay?" He ignored her question and asked her the question she had come to hate since she'd heard it every 5 minutes since this morning when she woke up.

"Fine. Why?" she stated more than asked, as she made her way over to the staircase. But her head was spinning more sharply than it had been before and she stumbled over, almost falling completely. Robbie, thankfully, had been sensing this and ran up to steady her.

"No, you're not." He said sternly and she leaned her head back. He still had his arm around her waist and his other hand on her arm, which he could've removed.

"Don't turn into Travis." She muttered under her breath and he stopped walking.

"Is that why he was so upset? Because you got into a fight with him?" Robbie asked and Alex leaned against him, not caring about what was going on between them anymore. She was too angry…too frustrated…to dizzy.

"He wouldn't let me go to school…" she fought back and he laughed a bit coldly.

"And for good reason it seems Alex." Robbie's voice had turned cold and convincing, but Alex wasn't going to listen to him. She wouldn't let anyone talk her out of missing practice today, especially only a few days away from the tennis tourney.

"Just leave me alone Robbie." Alex said, her voice filled with frustration and Robbie sat her down on the stairs, turning her to face him.

"No." Robbie said, staring at her with hard eyes. Her eyes burned even more than they had before as she bit back the tears.

"Why not?" she asked in a whisper. He looked at her softly and he touched her cheek gently. She shivered at his touch, but moved away. _If Ray was right…_

"Because you need someone to look after you Alex. You can't be so independent all the time." Robbie said in a hushed voice and Alex felt his hands rest gently but securely on her shoulders. She looked up at him, knowing there were tears brimming in her stinging green eyes.

She would've liked nothing more than to throw herself into his arms and start crying, to tell him everything…but she couldn't. She knew he'd never honestly see past the 'just friends' line with them.

"Thanks Robbie." She said before getting up and walking past him. "But I don't need it. It just wouldn't work." Alex felt him grab her wrist, but she tore it out of his grasp, swaying to the side slightly. The world was spinning and she felt herself going vertigo.

"Alex!" Robbie called, but the bell rang and she could hear the crowds coming out of the cafeteria. She was a fighter…and she would win the fight placed in front of her, no matter what.


	10. Lean On Me

"Alex" Alex steadied herself, breathing in deeply and slowly, straining her burning eyes to hit the speeding tennis ball correctly. River was glaring at her from the other side of the gym, but he knew she wouldn't stop playing at his orders.

"Alex, careful" Stam called from across the gym as she almost lost her footing as she hit the ball across the net. She merely nodded and held her hand up to Stam, bending over and setting her hands on her knees. Alex closed her eyes, shivering from another flash of coolness and breathed deeper, less steady this time.

"Okay." She said quietly, straining up and preparing herself for the speeding ball again. She could not be getting sick.now, when they were going to tourney in a just a few days!

"Alex, you need to stop." River was behind her now and she closed her eyes forcefully, shooting the ball across the room again. Her head had been spinning all afternoon and she had been asked if she was all right at least a hundred times. "It's just a practice, you can miss it."

"No I can't." Alex said forcefully, hitting the ball again. "Not when the tourney is so near." River held a hand up to Stam and she stopped, nodding her head. River rested his hands on Alex's shoulders and turned her around, staring at her with hard eyes. She stared back with equally tired and frustrated eyes. They hadn't spoken since the kissing incident, and she found the reason now awkward.

"Do you honestly think, that a player as good as you needs to practice" River asked, his voice full of cold, hard, forwardness. Alex looked away from him, sighing. She would never be able to accept she was good enough, no matter how hard she tried to. "You're ill. You need to rest Alex.your health is more crucial to the tourney then your readiness."

"No, you're wrong. I'm not ill and I do need to be ready. This tourney matters.to everyone." Alex said, before turning and nodding at Stam, holding up her racket. River sighed in frustration, standing close to her. He was breathing down her neck about this and she hated it with a passion. Almost as much as she hated loosing this fight against her own body. She knew she was ill.but she would not face reality.

"Alex, listen to me, practice makes perfect, but sometimes that's wrong. Sometimes, it just over works the player, and it's doing that to you." He tried to stop her, but she pushed him out of the way. "I want you to stop practicing and rest." She watched Stam hold her hand up and walk towards the water bottles set out for the Roscoe Cougar Tennis Team.

"River" She turned to face him angrily, the dizziness and sharp pain rising to a whole new level. Alex tried to keep her feet steady, but they kept swaying.

"Alex, you're hurting yourself. You need to." Alex sent him a helpless look before the world turned black before her eyes and she became limp.

River leaned forward and caught Alex swiftly before she hit the ground.

"Alex? Alex" River shook her gently, not expecting the worry for this girl to invade his body like it did. He felt sick to his stomach, having known that she was pulling practicing into over drive and hurting herself. He should've stopped her from staying behind to practice a bit longer, should've told someone else about it. Several team members ran towards him, crowding him.

"River, what happened" Cynthia Ellis's voice was filled with worry as she stared at the limp Alex in River's arms. River shifted Alex to one arm so he could feel her forehead gently. It was scalding.

"She's got a fever, I need to take her home. Chase" River looked over to co-captain Chase Sanse, sending him a straightforward look. "Take over practice and fill in for Alex with Stam. Brett and Adria can stop playing mixed doubles for now and play singles against each other."

"Got it boss." Chase said, whistling and sending everyone back to their spots as he cast a worried glance at Alex. "Take care of her River."

"I will. Don't worry." River said, escalating Alex into his arms and proceeding to carry her out of the gym. He looked around for someone who could carry Alex's things to his car for him and found the tall guy with midnight blue hair and glasses the perfect person. "Nick! I need you to carry some stuff out of here with me."

Robbie leaned against the doorframe of the Cougar Radio Station and watched as Kim wrapped up the show for the day. He'd once again skipped RFR to do some talking to people and was grateful that his friends were covering up for Question Mark with the fever. It seemed to have been going around lately, making it a varied excuse for absence.

"Robbie, hey." Kim said, sliding off her headphones and switching off the equipment. "I didn't expect you to be here."

"Well, I am." Robbie said, crossing his arms. "And we need to talk."

"About the cruise." Kim offered and he nodded, sending her into a nervous state. She began to bite her lip and fumble with her hands, shifting from foot to foot. "I don't know really what to say Robbie. My parents just told me about it, and I couldn't really say"No I'm not going." To them, now could I? I mean, it is Christmas after all."

"Yeah, I suppose." Robbie said stiffly. As much as he loved Kim, he was actually relieved that she was leaving for Christmas. That way, he could sort things out with Alex.

"So, you aren't upset with me anymore" she asked, a tint of hopefulness in her voice. He sighed, not knowing if he should spend an hour explaining everything to her.

"Yes." He said, choosing the simpler answer. "So, you and the Pierces" His smirk made her slight smile dip down.

"Don't start." she paused, her gaze drifting to outside the Radio Station. He looked at her oddly, turning around to look.

"What" he asked, looking around and stopping at what he saw. River was holding an unconscious Alex in his arm, Nick Stelletoe following them with Alex's bag. She was still wearing her tennis practice outfit and so were the guys accompanying her. But Robbie was worried about the fact that she had fainted at practice.something that a brutal fever could easily do.

"Isn't that Alex" Kim asked, puzzlement defined in her voice. Robbie nodded, running out into the hall quickly, stopping at River abruptly. Kim had followed him, not running but walking quickly.

"River, Nick, what happened" Robbie asked, his voice harsh. River looked at him with a is-it-really-any-of-your-business look and sighed, shifting Alex around in his arms. Her face was ghostly white and it looked serious. At the state she'd been in at lunch, it could've gotten ten times worse since then.

"She was over doing herself. She wouldn't listen to me when I told her to stop practicing and go home to rest. But she had to of course, be difficult and protest. So she fainted when she just got to too much." River said, looking at Robbie, then to Kim.

"I'll take her home." Robbie said, walking over to Nick and taking her stuff that he offered her. "Travis would want me to be with her." River nodded, but he seemingly tightened his grip on Alex.

"I'll drive you guys home." River said, not removing his glance from Robbie. "You can't carry her all the way there." Robbie looked like he was about to protest, but Kim intervened.

"Great idea River. You can drive me home on the way." She said, sending Robbie a warning look. He just scowled at her and clenched Alex's beloved, small, shoulder canvas bag. It was obvious that River felt something towards Alex. What it was, Robbie didn't know.

"Fine." River said, walking past Robbie. "My car's parked near the school, so we won't have to walk to far."

"Here's the stop." Robbie was eager to get out of the car. The whole way there, he and River had had a question war, plummeting each other with question after question. Kim had been the only one that remained silent, not wanting to interfere with their bickering.

"Okay." River said and Kim grasped Alex's bags, getting out of the car and walking up to the door. Robbie followed, carefully taking Alex out of the car with him.

"Thanks River." Robbie said stiffly and River nodded towards him.

"Tell her to call me when she wakes up." River said before Robbie nodded and shut the door. Kim was waiting impatiently at the door and Robbie called out to her.

"Look in the biggest pocket in the front of Alex's canvas bag. The house keys are there." He said and she titled it backward, digging into the pocket and pulling out the key. When she did, she opened the door and carefully put Alex's stuff just out of the way of the doorway.

"There you go." Kim said to him when he reached the doorway. He smiled at her. "I hope she feels better."

"Thanks Kim." Robbie said. "It will take a lot of persuading to keep Alex in bed when she wakes up." Kim laughed almost dryly, but Robbie heard the humor in it.

"Well, call me if you need help." She offered and he nodded, smiling. Kim leaned in to kiss him, but stopped when she realized that River was still waiting for her in the car. "I better go. Call you later"

"Yeah." Robbie said, smiling. "See you. Thanks for your help."

"No problem." Kim said, turning and walking down the snowy drive and climbing into River's car. Robbie sighed, walking into the empty Strong house and kicking off his shoes. He needed to get Alex into bed and get prepared to deal with Alex waking up.


	11. A Man and A Woman

Robbie set Alex down carefully on her bed. As always, her room was as neat as a pin, which made him feel a lot more comfortable. He didn't feel out of place here. His gaze turned back to Alex, who was pale and shivering, making Robbie realize that she must be cold. It was 20 below outside and she was in shorts and a T-shirt.

"Blanket, blanket." Robbie murmured to himself as he looked around Alex's room for a fleece throw. He didn't want to wake her by putting her under the comforter on the bed. "Here we go." He found one, a nice golden one to match the assortment of colors in her room. As he gently set the blanket around her, Robbie's mind traced back to helping Alex paint her room.

_"Ray" Alex said in frustration, shaking her tousled dirty blonde hair. He was standing above her, attempting to paint over the Roscoe Cougar Sports Team poster on her wall. "You have to take the poster off first. It's not going to appear beneath the paint."_

_"Well, If the paint wasn't so dark." Ray started, looking at the color covering half of the walls around him._

_"Violet Blue" Robbie laughed. It was near periwinkle and sky, but the soft hint of violet in it and shimmer was what had attracted Alex to it. _

_"It'll dry darker." Ray tried, looking down in defeat after. "I'll buy you a new one Alex."_

_"Thanks for the offer Ray-man, but anyone on the sports team gets them free." Alex said, turning to Robbie with blue paint freckles all over her face. He laughed at this, for she was so unlike every other girl he knew._

_"Okay Alex, I've got three fabrics here. Do you want the Shimmer Me Pink or Purple Sky? Or Snowflake White" Lily said from the door, holding to patches of fabric. Alex pulled a thinking expression on to her face and shrugged._

_"All of them." _

_"What" Lily asked and Alex sighed before repeating._

_"I want all of them. They all go together."_

"It's not working." Alex's soft whisper broke into Robbie's thoughts. He'd been so lost in the past, he'd forgotten that Alex could wake up at any time.

"What's not working" Robbie asked. She was talking in her sleep and she seemed very frustrated.

"The dare." He became confused. Alex had told him the kiss was a dare. And a stupid one at that. Was this what she was talking about?

"Why isn't it working" He asked, knowing his curiosity was getting ahead of him and using her mindless babbling against her.

"They aren't broken up yet." She said angrily and Robbie felt numb. The kiss had been meant to break him and Kim up. "I told Ray we should've just talked to Robbie." She let out a soft whimper before falling limp again.

"Ray.I should've known." Robbie said, holding his head in his hands. He should feel angry at what Ray told Alex to do. He should feel angry that his friends didn't appreciate his relationship with her. He should feel angry. But he didn't. Because he knew he would've done the same thing.

"Robbie" Alex's head was fuzzy, making her wake up very hard. She was attempting to sit up, and she saw him reach to help her. Alex grabbed his outstretched hand and pulled him closer to her, grabbing him in a hug.

"Alex, are you okay" He asked, his voice calm and soothing as he rubbed her back. She was taking in dangerously sharp breaths and she felt like she had been drowning. "Alex"

"Whe-where am I" she stammered. The last thing she remembered was being at the gym, practicing, and fighting with River. "Robbie? Are you there" She was squinting, her eyes being really sore and stinging, and when she squinted, it numbed the pain for a few seconds.

"Yeah Alex, I'm here." His voice relaxed her and she fell back onto her mound of pillows on her bed, sighing. "You're at your house. You collapsed at practice, and River brought you out."

"Where's River" she asked. She didn't want him to be here, with her and Robbie. He wasn't on her best side right now.

"He took Kim home. Why" he asked, his voice full of bitterness. They didn't like each other. This devised a slight dip.

"We. We were fighting before I passed out." Her voice was full of confusion, and she saw the look he sent her. "Because he kissed me." She added and he nodded, remaining silent.

"Well, you had all of us worrying. Just wait till Travis finds out." Robbie started and Alex's stomach seemed to jolt in nervousness.

"Robbie! No" She said, trying to get up to fast and having to just fall back down. The dizziness was too much. "Please don't tell him. If you do, I won't be able to go in the tourney." Robbie looked at her with a hard expression that she chose to pass.

"Alex, you shouldn't go if you're sick like this. It could endanger your health."

"Spare me the lecture Robbie." She said, waving her hand. "I've gone into tournaments with chicken pox, twisted wrists."

"But that's nothing like this Alex." Robbie said, a hard tone dripped into his voice. "You fainted. And that was just during practice."

"I was all worked up! I'd just talked to you, then to River, and I was too emotionally unstable." Alex cried, not looking him in the eye. "Trust me, I'll be fine."

"Sure you will." He said in an undertone and she reached forward and slugged him. "Ouch"

"Well you deserved it" she said angrily and he glared at her.

"I might as well just leave then." He spat, getting up and grabbing his jacket. "Seems like you weren't dared to do this." Alex's guilt from earlier that day came back and washed over her like a tidal wave.

"Robbie." she said and he paused at the door. "I'm sorry." He turned around to stare at her. "I'm sorry for everything. For trying to split you and Kim up, for kissing you. For not telling you everything. I'm so, so sorry." The tears came out easily, and her head was spinning again. "Please, don't go." He smiled at this and came and sat down.

"Okay." He smiled again, reaching out and touching her hand. "I won't leave. I promise."

"Alex" Travis burst into her room, followed by Lily and Ray, all of whom had worried expressions on their faces. Alex looked up, her green eyes shining, and her smile forming into a frown. "Are you okay"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why." Alex started but Travis engulfed her in a hug. Lily and Ray laughed silently from behind him and Robbie bit his tongue to stop from laughing at Alex's face.

"I'm sorry, but I knew you were sick! That's why I tried to stop you from coming! Not because I'm controlling or anything, I was just worried." Travis said in one breath and he pulled away from the hug, leaving Alex stunned.

"Um, okay." Alex said slowly, looking around at the other two. "How did you find out"

"Nick called me." Ray said, an almost prideful tone in his voice. "We're buddies, and he knew that I knew you, so he called."

"Oh." Alex said, looking at Robbie.

"Nick carried your stuff out for you with River." Robbie confirmed and she nodded.

"Remind me to thank him later."

"So you and Alex" Kim asked, her questioned poised as she sat in the front seat. River had seemed very worried about Alex, the way he was carrying her with a delicate ease. "I never would've guessed the cute little jock girl would catch your attention."

"And I never would've guessed the ninth grader with an attitude would catch yours either." River spat back at her and she laughed. Nervously, but confidently.

"Me? And McGrath? You must be joking." Kim said, her head turning sharply towards him, her eyes surveying him. "You won't tell anyone. Will you"

"Of course not. As long as you don't tell anyone about Alex." River compromised and Kim slouched in her seat.

"Deal." She said, bitterly. The silence was long, and seeing as her house was still ten minutes away, she sought conversation. "He's not that bad of a guy."

"And she's not that bad of a girl either." River rounded. "I knew that's what you thought, ever since Robbie has seemed to have a secure attachment to her." He sniggered at his last words and Kim heated up.

"They're just friends. That's all." Kim said through clenched teeth. He laughed at her anger and raised his eyebrows, looking at her.

"Are you sure" She got frustrated and unbuckled her seat belt.

"Okay, that's it, let me off here, I'll walk home." She said angrily and he set a hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry Kimmy. I didn't mean it." he said, almost as if he was worried she would leave the car. She huffed back into her seat and buckled her seat belt.

"Fine. I won't leave. Just drop the subject." She said bitterly.

"Good. Because we need to talk."


	12. Hello

"Hello?" Kim picked up the ringing phone and answered it. She was packing her things for the cruise, very reluctantly of course and had just spent a rather quiet dinner with her parents. The silent treatment she'd put on them had not been lifted over the course of the last few days.

"Hey Kimmy." Kim froze for a second as she registered the voice, before sighing annoyingly. Why didn't I check for caller ID?

"River." She said, a fake tone of happiness to her voice. "How nice to hear from you. Called to continue the conversation we had earlier?" He heard him laugh and tossed away the turtlenecks she had been opting to bring. They were going somewhere warm, somewhere that didn't need all the extra layers.

"Actually, yes, seeing as you left my car so abruptly." Kim had to bite her tongue to not laugh. She had been plain fed up with what he was saying, so when he pulled up in front of her house, she opened the door and got out, running quickly up the slippery steps and slamming the door behind her.

"Well, what else is there to talk about?" Kim asked, nodding as she picked out a large, colorful pile of tank tops and put them neatly into her suitcase along with her capris, light ¾ sleeve shirts, shorts, bikinis, pajamas and 3 sweatshirts for chilly days. "Me and you agreed to stick together on the trip, because neither of us wants to be stuck with parents or no one."

"I know, I know." River said impatiently and she wondered why he was being so frisky. It had been his idea any ways, but she was glad he suggested it. She was scared she would have to bring it up.

"But what else?" Kim asked as she went through her make up, putting two bottles of sunscreen in her bag. "You didn't just call to talk about the trip."

"I don't really know why I phoned actually." River said blandly and she rolled her eyes. So predictable. "Heard from Robbie?" Kim sighed, taking out a few of her best dresses and pulling the protective covers over them. She would need them for the dinners and dances every night.

"No, I haven't." She waited for a moment's silence before speaking again. "If you're that worried about Alex, then phone her. Or go see her."

"I'm not worried about her!" River said, just a bit too quickly. Kim laughed freely this time, feeling deeply that he needed to hear it.

"Sure." She uttered, cradling the phone between her ear and the crook of her neck. "And I'm not a straight A student."

"You're not," River rounded back. "You failed Chemistry last semester." Kim felt herself redden and sighed in frustration. He was trying to change the subject.

"Stop trying to change the subject." She snapped, walking over to her closet and opening the door. When she had, Kim reached over and grabbed four pairs of flip-flops and three pairs of tall stilettos. "River, if you like her that much, go over before we leave." The silence she accepted. He was trying to make up his mind.

"Fine. But when I tried to tell her how I felt before, she ended up running away." River said and Kim furrowed her brow as she chose three books that she could read over the trip. Before?

"What do you mean by, before?" Kim pried, sitting down slowly on her bed. Something had happened between the two of them she didn't know about? "If you want help, you have to tell me."

"Okay, who wants what on the pizza?" Alex called from the kitchen. She wasn't feeling fully better, but she was feeling well enough to have a pizza, games and a movie night at the Strong Residence. She had even made smoothies for the occasion.

"Pepperoni and cheese!"

"Green peppers and onions!"

"Anchovies!" Alex laughed at Ray's joke, knowing he and everyone (except Travis) loathed anchovies with a passion.

"Got it!" she called back and as she began to reach for the phone, stumbled a little bit. Setting a hand on her head, Alex tried to steady herself from the dizziness. So maybe she was only doing this because she desperately wanted to prove to Travis that she would be able to compete in the tourney tomorrow. But at least it was working?

"Hurry up Alex! It takes 10 minutes for them to get here and I'm starved!" Ray yelled and she gripped the oven door handle to keep herself steady.

"Yeah, yeah, hold your horses." Alex called and she reached for the phone. "Hello?" she said politely after she'd dialed the number that was burned into her head. "Could I please have an extra large pizza with pepperoni, cheese, green peppers, onions with a side of garlic bread?"

"Yes ma'am. It'll be there in 10 minutes or less, or we don't charge. Have a nice day." The boy said and Alex said thank you before hanging up the phone.

"Pizza will be here in ten minutes or less, or we don't get charged." She announced, walking into the living room. Robbie, Lily, Ray and Travis were all sprawled out the floor-playing Twister.

"Right foot blue." Travis ordered to Ray and Lily, who were twisted up on the rainbow colored mat.

"Yay! Pizza!" Ray cheered, and only two seconds later they were piled up on top of each other.

"Ten minutes Ray." Alex reminded him and he nodded, getting up and helping Lily up as well.

"I know, I know." He whined and she laughed, perching herself on the arm of the couch. Travis smiled at her, looking at Robbie after.

"Okay, Alex and Robbie have to go. They're the only two who haven't." Travis said and Alex blushed. He was doing this on purpose and she knew it.

"But you haven't gone yet," Alex started, not getting up. Lily sighed, plopping on the couch beside Ray.

"You know our rules Alex. Travis has gone and there are only two people allowed on the mat at a time." Lily said.

"Just like wrestling!" Ray piped up, and Alex quirked an eyebrow at him. He was definitely hyper; a bad sign seeing as the pizza hadn't even come yet.

"Yeah." she sighed and Robbie nudged her arm.

"Come on Alex. It's just a game of Twister." Robbie said and she rolled her eyes before following him to the mat. Lily, Travis and Ray were sniggering, something she wanted to slap off their faces. It was after all just a game of Twister.

"Right foot red!" Lily giggled and Alex desperately tried to move her foot over to a red dot.

"There is no way I'm loosing." She muttered determinedly and Robbie laughed.

"Yes, there is, because I'm going to win." He retorted and she narrowed her eyes before she felt her foot slip.

"Oh! Robbie wins!" Ray called joyfully from the couch and Alex couldn't help but laugh. She was basically sitting on Robbie's lap on the floor, seeing as they'd basically been on top of each other in the game.

"Good game Alex." Robbie said, holding out his hand to her. She turned her eyes to look at him and his smile faded a bit. They were having a staring contest, and whoever looked away lost.unfortunately, that wasn't the reality. She'd gotten lost in his eyes again, and it seemed the same thing was happening to him.

Ding-dong. Alex checked her watch and sprang up to get the door.

"I'll get it!" she chorused and from behind her she heard Ray yelp in glee.

"Pizza!" She laughed as she opened the door to find a young boy holding a large pizza box and a smaller box.

"Evening ma'am." He said smiling. "Did you order an extra large pizza with pepperoni, cheese, green peppers and onions, with a side order of garlic bread?"

"Yes, I believe I did." Alex said, reaching into her pocket and grabbing the ten dollars Travis had slipped her for pizza. "How much?"

"10. 25." The boy replied and she turned around.

"Who's got a quarter for pizza?" she yelled and a scramble of feet was heard before Ray jumped in front of her.

"I do!" He held the quarter out for her and waited patiently as she paid the boy.

"Thanks ma'am. You guys have a nice night." He said before turning and walking down the drive.

"Careful you don't slip!" Alex called out to him and Ray dragged her inside the door before shutting it.

"Pizza!" he said gleefully and she rolled her eyes, walking past him.

"Go get the plates and you get a piece extra." She said and he ran into the kitchen, returning ten seconds later with a stack of plates.

"One for everyone, but Ray tags the last piece!" Ray said, opening the box, which was set on the coffee table, and grabbing three pieces. "Oh sweet pizza!"

Ding dong. Alex found herself bouncing back up as she began to sit down.

"Who could that be?" Travis asked and the rest of them shrugged. "He didn't forget the garlic bread, did he?"

"Nope." Lily said as she opened the small bag. Seconds later, Ray had snatched it out of her hands and took two pieces. "Hey!"

"Start the movie." He ordered and Robbie laughed before pressing play on the DVD remote.

"What movie is it tonight?" Alex heard Lily ask as she made her way to the door.

"The Italian Job. Alex picked it out the other night." Ray said and Alex smiled as she opened the door. Indeed she had.

"Hello." she stopped speaking as she saw who was standing in front of her. It was River, holding a large piece of paper and a cordless CD player. "Riv." He flipped the paper over, cutting her off.

'Don't say anything.' She nodded, looking behind her.

"Hey Alex! Who is it?" Lily yelled and she looked to River.

'Say it's carolers.' Alex sent River a quizzical look before shouting back.

"Just some carolers!" she yelled and she heard them laugh.

"Tell them to go away!" Ray yelled and Alex shrugged.

"No, I think I'll take a listen!" she yelled and River pressed play on the CD player when a bunch of Christmas carols could be heard.

'I know you're wondering why I am here,' The next card read her mind and she nodded.

'But I couldn't leave before letting you know,' Her heart sped up. What was he getting at?

'That no matter how far, or how different we seem, or who comes in between us,' She wrapped her arms around her as she waited for what the next card read.

'I will always and most certainly be in love with you.' Alex froze as this card came up, but she couldn't help grinning happily. She was trying so hard not to cry at the moment, and she knew if she were asked to speak, her voice wouldn't come.

'I know you might not feel the same way about me,' She waited for the other card, her breath held.

'But just because someone feels a certain way about you, doesn't change the way you feel about them, right?' She had to laugh as she nodded, knowing how true that statement was.

'So, now before I go, I just wanted you to know, that I will always love you, no matter what. And,' She almost let her emotions slip. No one had ever told her that they would love her forever.

'That I wish you would have a Happy Christmas this year.' He smiled lovingly at her before flipping the card over. 'I will be thinking about you.'

"River," She whispered her eyes full of tears. She was in awe. The person she had least expected to do something that meant so much to her, had been the one to do it. Never judge a book by its cover. Her mother's words came flooding back to her head as she studied the grinning River Pierce. He was awfully handsome, and this had showed a completely different side to him. He had wanted that date, because he was head over heels for her. And now that she thought about it, she maybe, just maybe had some feelings for him.

'Look up.' She looked at him, her face etched with puzzlement, before she did.

'Do you accept?' Mistletoe. He was asking one thing before he left. So, opening her arms, she mouthed the word to him.

"Yes." He put down the cards and walked up to her, engulfing her in a close hug.

"I really do." River said, his voice quiet.

"I think.I think I might too." Her voice was small, and she felt herself leaning in.

Robbie laughed at Ray, who was making fun of a crying Lily. Stella's father had just died, and Lily was tearing up. Ray, the jokester of the group had of course snatched the moment and began to mimic her.

"I hate that evil man!" he cried, his voice in an unnaturally high pitch. Lily reached forward quickly and punched him, making him crumple in pain. "Oww!"

"Alex must've really liked those carolers," Travis commented quietly to Robbie. "She's been out there for a while." Robbie nodded, leaning backward and gently pushing back the curtain from the window. He searched for Alex and found her silhouetted on the steps.tight in an embrace with someone. His grip on the curtain grew tighter and his jealousy level grew increasingly when the person moved a bit and he saw who was in the embrace with her.

"River." Robbie growled in a low breath so as Travis wouldn't hear. The last thing he needed was her cousin pestering her about this. What happened next though shocked him as it would shock anyone. They kissed. It wasn't a quick meaningless kiss as well, but a nice, passionate one that didn't look right stuck on them. Or at least, it didn't to him. When they broke apart, Robbie let the curtain drop. This wasn't happening.it couldn't be happening. Alex and River? That was just as good a match as he and Lily.

"Robbie, you okay?"

"I'll see you when you get back alright? And we'll talk then." Alex said, smiling. She was still in awe, and River looked happier than she'd ever seen him.

"Okay." He kissed her quickly, smiling. "Have a good holiday.and good luck with the tourney tomorrow."

"Thanks." She said, smiling at him. "I better go before they get suspicious."

"Yeah." They parted and he collected his things before starting to walk to his car.

"River?" she called and he turned around. She smiled and blew him a kiss. "Happy Holidays."


	13. Riot Girl

A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing this story! I want to send out a major thanks to **that drama queen** however, for believing in me and my writing in this story! You rock!

Alex watched as River pulled off the curb and waved at her. She smiled and waved back, watching the car ride off into the night.

"I'm not going to ask." Alex nearly jumped out of her socked feet as Parker emerged from behind the shrub in the neighbor's yard.

"Parker! You scared the heck out of me!" She hissed and Parker giggled before running up and poking her gently. Alex shivered from the cold and narrowed her eyes at Parker. She was grinning hugely and her brown eyes were dancing.

"I never figured you'd fall for _River_, A." Parker teased and Alex grabbed her by the shoulders.

"You can't tell anyone." She pleaded and Parker rolled her eyes.

"Hello? It's me, Parker." Alex nodded, rubbing her arms. It was really cold out. "I won't tell a soul." Parker smiled biting her lip. "Besides, you two are kind of cute together."

Alex gasped in embarrassment before pushing Parker playfully. She just giggled, making her way past Alex and opening the door.

"How much of the movie have I missed?" she asked as they walked into the Strong's spacious front hallway.

"Not much." Alex peaked into the living room and discovered they were half an hour in. "Per say half an hour." Parker nodded before waltzing into the TV room.

"Ray, you better not have eaten all the pizza."

"Travis!" Travis closed his eyes slowly as Alex blew up in his face. He'd just told her the unthinkable thing to say to Alex on the morning of a tennis tournament. "You can't do this to me."

"Alex, you're not well enough to go to the tournament!" He said firmly and she slammed her hand down on her bed. She was sitting up in bed, glaring at him with a passion. "You went to bed last night at _8:30._ You've never done that, not even on the night of a tourney." She scrunched up her face in hurt, anger, and disappointment. A mixture of all. "Especially on a pizza and a movie night."

"I was tired!" Alex fought back, furrowing her brow. Travis crossed his arms, showing superiority to her maturity.

"You were flushed and Ray had to help you up the stairs because you kept on stalling at the bottom." He reminded her and she fell back onto her pillows angrily.

"Travis," She pleaded and he bit his tongue. She was trying to slip under his guard, something he could not let happen…again. "Please. This is my tournament. With River gone we've lost one of our key players-"

"Alex, I'm not listening anymore." Travis settled, standing up. "You're not going to school and you're not going to that tournament."

Alex almost screamed as Travis walked stiffly out of her room. So she woke up with a bit of a high temperature…went to bed early…and needed Ray to help her up the stairs and into her bed because she could hardly stand up on her own. What's the problem with that?

"There is no way he is making me stay away from that tournament." She spat coldly, looking at her phone. Who could she call? She could call Parker…but she didn't have a car, which is what she needed to get to the center without showing up at school. Lily didn't have a car either, and Robbie didn't, but he'd talk her out of going any ways…who else was there?

Ray. She almost hit herself in the head for forgetting about him. How could she be so stupid? Tim drove Ray to school on cold mornings like this…and she knew it was cold out. The dynamic duo would be back in action.

Alex silently prayed that Ray would still be in his room. She reached over and grabbed her cell phone, just in case Travis picked up the phone and listened in on her conversation. Hopping out of bed while she dialed Ray's cell phone number, she had to grab the bed to steady herself. So she was dizzy? She'd take a few aspirins and she'd be perfectly fine.

"It's go time." Ray's usual greeting made her smile.

"Hey Ray."

"Alex, hey. How ya feeling?" Alex pulled out her Roscoe Cougar Tennis Team hoodie and smiled, pulling it on over her head.

"Better." She lied, turning around and looking for her track pants. Her tennis gear was waiting to go in her duffel bag. "Listen, I need a favor."

"Sorry." Travis apologized for about the tenth time and Alex felt kind of bad for lying to him and sneaking out. But she _needed _to be at that tourney.

"It's okay." Alex mumbled from under the covers. She had them pulled up to her chin so he couldn't see what she had on.

"Do you want me to phone Stam? Or Nick? Tell them you can't make it?" He asked. She quickly shook her head.

"No. I'll…I'll phone them later, okay?" Alex said, sending a glance towards her clock. "You better be getting out of here, Trav. You'll be late."

Travis looked at the clock and jumped out of the chair he'd pulled over to her side. "You're right." He ruffled her hair and she smiled, wiggling further beneath the covers. "See you later A."

"Bye…" She smiled. "Mr. T." He narrowed his eyes before walking out the door. The second he had, Alex jumped out from beneath the covers and ran to the top of the stairs. She waited for him to walk out the door, heard the lock click, and ran to the window. Once he was down the street and out of view, she ran back to her room and pulled on her socks and tennis shoes.

"Sorry Travis." She muttered while pulling her thin jacket over her hoodie. She grabbed her bag and ran down the stairs, stopping at the kitchen to grab 4 aspirins. 2 for before she went on and 2 for after she got off. "Thanks Tim." She said after she'd reached the Brennan's driveway.

"No problem Alex." Tim said, climbing into the driver's seat. Ray met Alex on the side of the car.

"Since Waller's letting most of the school go to the Tennis Meet, I'm coming with you." Ray said, taking her duffel bag and lifting it into the back seat.

"Okay." Alex said, not really paying attention. She hugged Ray after this. "Thanks for doing this Stan-Man. I really appreciate it." Ray hugged her back before tickling her.

"No problem, Strong-Girl." She giggled and they both reached for the passenger seat door.

"Hey!" Alex crinkled her nose at him. "Ladies first."


	14. I Miss You

A/N: I would like to dedicate this chapter to that drama queen! Happy birthday!

Ray sent an unsure glance towards a rather pale and flushed looking Alex, who smiled at him as they both got out of the car.

"See you Tim. Thanks for the ride!" Alex said gratefully, leaning in through the open car window and kissing his brother on the cheek. Tim smiled and made way to pull out of the Roscoe Sports Complex parking lot.

"See ya big bro!" Ray called after the speeding vehicle, putting his arm gently around Alex when they both turned to the large building. She looked a bit unsteady. "You okay, A?"

Alex smiled wearily, taking in a deep breath before nodding. "Yeah, I'm great. Just a bit nervous that's all."

"Alrighty then." Ray said, frowning at her. But his composure was almost gained back as quickly as it had left as he whooped in excitement. "Let's go kick some Surrey Eagles' butt!"

….

Kim slipped her headphones on as the plane took off. She hated the squirmy feeling she got in her stomach when she flew, and sitting beside River was no comfort to the squirms.

"Kim?" River tugged on her headphone cord, making her ears ring. She rolled her eyes before tugging one side of the headphone off. "Kim?"

"What is it River?" she asked impatiently, letting out a sigh of relief when the airplane had inclined back to its horizontal state. River frowned at her before answering, wringing his hands nervously.

"I miss her already, and we've barely left Roscoe." He muttered and she smirked, patting his arm reassuringly. "What? I do."

"Don't worry. You'll get over it." She said with a tinge of a sneer in her voice. Kim would never be able to tell him that she thought the fact he would actually miss Alex on the cruise was cute.

"Oh, thanks." He muttered, picking up his set of headphones and pressing play on the Discman in his lap. "Now, I'm going to ignore you for the five hours we'll be on this plane."

"Good plan." She agreed picking up her magazine and flipping to the first page that wasn't full of advertisements. This would be a long flight.

…..

"Do you think they'll have swimming pools on the cruise?" Kim rolled her eyes again, frowning at the sound of River's teasing voice. It hadn't even been two hours and he was already bothering her. She pulled off her headphones and glared at him.

"I suppose so." She said stiffly, realizing the joke behind this. Well, it was only a joke to him. To her, it was her worst fear.

"Do you still remember that day, Kimmy?" River asked, his voice sugar coated and dripping with annoyance. She nodded, trying to concentrate on reading the article she had out in front of her; How to Get the Perfect Curls in 10 Steps. She fingered her long hair, which she'd straightened for the trip. It would get blonder that way.

"Of course I remember that day. It was the day my fear of drowning started." Kim mumbled venomously, hating the way his face lit up. She remembered clearly, like it had happened yesterday…

"_River! Stop trying to run ahead of me!" Kim yelled, cringing slightly at the intense smell of chlorine. Her best friend, River Pierce, ran idly ahead of her, jumping into the indoor pool at her grandmother's ranch. Both the Pierces and the Carliles had been invited there for Easter dinner, and River and Kim had decided to go swimming. _

"_Did you think I was going to let you have the first dive?" River teased from the water. Kim gulped, peering over the edge. River had dove into the deeper end of the pool, something that she couldn't do without her floaters on. "Come on, Kimmy, dive in!"_

_She stared cautiously at his head, bobbing up and down in the water. "I don't know. It's the first time I've swam without my floaters on." Kim said, thoroughly embarrassed at telling him._

"_You swim with floaters?" His tiny pitched voice jeered and she frowned. _

"_Yes. I just haven't learned how to swim yet." She sniffled, crossing her arms. River pulled himself out of the water and stood next to her, grinning menacingly. _

"_I can teach you." He offered, smiling at her. She shook her head violently, crossing her arms tighter_.

"_No." _

"_Why not?" River asked, trying his best to sound innocent. But Kim wouldn't listen to him. _

"_Because…you're a boy and I don't want you to teach me." She said shortly. River raised his eyebrows, puffing out his chest and setting his bawled fists on his hips. _

"_But Kimmy. I'm in level eight in swimming lessons. I know what I'm doing." He insisted, rushing behind her and setting his hands on her shoulders. "On the count of three. One…two…three!"_

_River plunged her into the deep water, and Kim struggled to stay up._

"_Ri-River!" She gasped, flailing her arms around and trying to stay above the water. "H-help me!" Her arms got too tired and she went back down, crying. She was going to drown._

"_Kim!" Her father's strong voice rang out in the room and Kim fought to stay up in the water. _

"_Da-Daddy!" She called and suddenly he was in the water beside her, holding her up. "It's all his fault," She was crying, clinging to her father. "River pushed me in."_

"_I didn't mean to! I was just trying to teach her to swim!"_

"Ha ha, I will never forget your face!" River laughed and Kim moved her foot quickly to his shin, digging the pointed tip of her heels into his leg. "Ow!"

"If you hadn't been so persistent…" She hissed, crossing her arms and looking out the window. A silence broke out and River spent it cradling his sore shin. It annoyed Kim, so once again she turned to face to him. "Look, this trip isn't going to work if we can't agree to stay friends and not bite each other's heads off with…" She paused, narrowing her eyes at him. "Painful memories."

"Fine." River said through clenched teeth, rubbing the spot on his leg where she'd kicked him.

"Fine." She agreed, turning back to her magazine. Another silence past and River tried to contently watch the movie over head (The Forgotten) but couldn't find peace at it.

"But for the record, Kim, I am sorry that I almost drowned you." He said, turning to her. She just smiled blandly, continuing to read. "And if I recall, I spent the next two days saying sorry for it."

"I know," She smiled, flipping the page. "I just wanted to hear you say it again."

……

"Two aspirins? Alex, are you sure you're allowed to be taking those?"

Alex rolled her eyes and swallowed the two pills with the water, watching Ray scold her as she did. If she didn't take them, the headache and dizziness wouldn't go away. She wouldn't last two minutes in this tourney if she didn't…and she owed it to her team to be there.

"I'm allowed to Ray. It's not like I'm snorting cocaine or something." She said, twisting the lid back onto her water bottle. "Stam? Have you seen where I put my animal crackers?" Her friend's raven black head poked up, looking around the room.

"I think you put them behind your bag, Alex." She offered and Alex nodded, setting out to walk, then pausing as a wave of dizziness came over her. Ray raised his eyebrows at her and quickly went to look for them.

"I found them!" He called and Alex made her way to a bench. The dizziness and the headaches were killer and she hoped desperately that the aspirins would kick in before she went on.

"The crackers will help the queasiness." Stam whispered gently and Alex tried to smile at her. She could barely open her eyes without feeling the soreness of the bright lights.

"Here they are." Ray said, handing her the bag of animal crackers she'd packed herself. She gratefully took them and popped a lion into her mouth. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you bring animal crackers?" Stam gasped at him and Alex smiled shortly.

"You don't know the story behind the animal crackers?" Sophie, who had been standing near them, asked, hand on her hip. Ray shook his head, looking around at the team members.

"Ever since I started playing tennis with my friend from London, Andy, he'd always give me animal crackers before we went for a tourney with our team. Whenever he did, we'd win. And well, whenever he didn't, we'd always end up loosing." Alex said, blinking back the tears that came with mentioning Andy's name. "So I always do now."

"Oh…" Ray nodded, sitting down beside Alex on the bench, his concentration etched face pulled on. "So, who's this Andy guy, and how come I never heard of him?"

Stam and Sophie turned away quickly, both knowing Alex needed some time with Ray.

"Andy Star was my best friend when I was younger and lived in London." Alex said with a bit of difficulty. She'd never bothered to tell anyone about her best friend in London, or her life back in London for that matter. The only person that knew about Andy was Travis, and he'd promised to keep it a secret. "We played tennis together, and when he moved away to California, well, that's when I went to the prep school and…" She trailed off, already knowing she was giving off too much information.

"Oh." Ray said, shuffling uncomfortably. "I'm sorry. It's just, well, you've never bothered to talk about it…" Alex cut him off before he went on and on, making her even more miserable.

"It's okay Ray. How were you supposed to know? I've never told anyone before." She sighed, finally feeling the aspirin kick in. Alex accepted the courage and strength to stand up and she used it, hoisting herself off the bench and swatting Ray away when he tried to help. "Any ways, I think that I should be going…"

"Alex!" Nick's loud voice rang through the locker room. "Time to go!"

"Coming!" She yelled, relieved she had an excuse to leave. Ray got up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, spinning her around.

"Alex, I don't like you running away when we try to actually have a serious conversation." He confessed, staring at her with serious eyes. "I want you to know you can talk to me."

Alex smiled, liking the fact he was being so honest with her.

"I know Stan-Man. But I really have to go now." She said, reaching forward and hugging him, partially leaning on him from the headache's sting. "We'll talk later, okay? Just be there for me now, cheering in the stands." He hugged her back tightly, nodding.

"Alright." They both leaned back at the same moment, smiling. "Now, let's go kick some Eagle butt!"

……

"I still can't believe Waller is actually letting us out of school to watch the tennis game!" Parker exclaimed excitedly, sliding into the seat beside Travis while Megan followed her. Travis nodded, frowning at the cheerleaders who were performing the Roscoe High Song while dancing.

"Yeah. Alex will be sorry that she missed it." He said quietly and Parker looked at him intently. "I still feel really bad about making her stay home."

"Don't feel bad." Parker reassured him, elbowing his arm. He smiled halfheartedly at her. "Alex will understand that you're just looking for what's best for her." Robbie laughed from beside Travis and Travis frowned again.

"Yeah, but the problem with Alex is that she thinks because I'm younger than her by like 6 months that she still has power over choices." Parker nodded at Travis, studying his worried face. If she knew Alex, she knew she would be here, waiting to go on. And boy, did she know Alex.

"Well, I'm sure she'll be fine…" Parker said. "With whichever choice she makes." The last bit she added in an undertone, hoping that Travis didn't catch what she said. But unfortunately, he did.

"What?"

"And please welcome the home team, the ROSCOE COUGARS!"

Waves of applause, cheers and hoots were suddenly erupting throughout the large gym and Parker noticed Ray slip in beside Robbie as the Cougar Tennis Team ran out into the gym. Watching them run out, Travis noticed a familiar dark blonde headed girl…

"Alex!"

……

"Ten minutes until we reach land kids." Kim smiled politely as Mr. Pierce informed them excitedly that they would be at the ship deck soon. River seemed to be doing the same thing and she waited until Mr. Pierce turned back in his seat to speak.

"Is your dad always like that River?" she asked playfully and River sighed.

"No, Kim, he isn't. He just thinks he's being…cool." River said blandly and she laughed, looking out the window. It was completely sea…they on a small jet that would take them to the island where they would board the cruise ship.

"Ha, ha." She teased, squirming impatiently in her seat. "Oh, I wish this flight would just end already…"

River was checking his watch and rubbing his forehead anxiously. Kim paused in her whining to watch him. He appeared nervous.

"What's on your mind Pierce?" She asked and he glanced quickly at her.

"Tennis tourney is happening right now. Alex should be playing singles soon." He said, checking his watch again. "I hope she's feeling alright. She was a bit shaky last night…"

"Yeah, about that." Kim interrupted him. He looked over at her, blue eyes glazed over worriedly. "You never told me what you did to swoon Miss Strong."

……

"What the heck is she doing out there!" Travis exclaimed and Ray seemed to shrink in his seat. Parker raised her eyebrows while Megan laughed silently from beside her.

"You honestly thought Alex would stay home Travis?" Robbie asked and Travis hit his head.

"I thought she was being sincere!" he said, watching her with beady eyes. "How did she get here?"

"Hey! Ray! You're here!" Lily slid past Ray, Robbie and Travis as she moved to sit in between Megan and Parker. Megan moved to the side to let her sit while Robbie, Travis and Parker looked at Ray. He was squirming uncomfortably in his seat, trying to remain cool as he watched Alex wave at him.

"Ray…" Robbie said, turning in his seat. "It was awfully cold this morning, don't you think?"

……

Alex looked around at her teammates, her eyes stopping on Nick, who smiled reassuringly at her, patting her shoulder. He was like an older brother to her…she loved him for that.

"We will be awesome guys!" He prepped the team, smiling at everyone. Then came Chase's pep talk and Alex only half listened. River would be on the plane now, probably thinking about the tourney at the moment. Probably thinking about her. The thought was reassuring.

She looked up into the stands, seeing Ray and waving at him. He waved back, squirming uncomfortably and she winced as her eyes drifted to her cousin. He was eyeing Ray with disappointment and she caught Parker's eye.

"Busted." Parker mouthed and Alex stomped her foot down, squinting. Travis had to of course find out. She should've taken Ray's last minute advice and dyed her hair red or black like Stam's so she wouldn't be recognizable.

"Alex, you're on last." Her name being mentioned made her snap back to the conversation.

"What?" She asked and Chase rolled his eyes before repeating himself.

"You're on last. You're single is on last of all our sets, okay?" Chase said and Alex nodded in disappointment. She absolutely hated being last. It was almost as bad as being in the middle, because her adrenaline wasn't as outgoing as it was at the beginning.

"Cougars!" Kyra, who was standing beside her, shouted and they all followed suite.

"COUGARS!"

……

"This is so exciting, don't you think?" Kim squealed. Her patience and smoothness had melted away and she was now bouncing beside River like a five-year-old girl at Christmas.

"Yes Kim. Very exciting." River said distractedly. He was still worried about Alex, wondering what time her single came on. Was she playing this very minute? Stop it River, he reminded himself. Your thousands of miles away, your trip hasn't even started and Alex is all you can think about.

"Come on. Lighten up! Alex will be great!" Kim teased in a very hyper tone. River raised his eyebrows at her and sighed.

"Kim, personally I think that you had one too many Sugar Pops on the way here."

……

"I can't believe she'd doing this." Travis muttered and Parker looked around at the others. They'd seemed to stop listening to him, but she stayed. If she didn't like him so much, she would've stopped listening a long time ago. "She's as white as a ghost and looks kind of shaky." Robbie sighed and Parker leaned forward to watch him. He seemed a bit antsy as well.

"Travis, keep in mind this is the first time that the team has played without River." Robbie reminded him. "He was one of the best players on the team." Parker nodded, looking to Travis. He was still staring at Alex intently, who was sitting with Nick, the boy with midnight blue hair, on the bench. He was sitting with his arm on her shoulders in a brotherly manner, talking to her. She was nodding, rocking back and forth in her seat.

"I suppose."

"And now, Alex Strong from the Cougars plays singles with Tina Compley from the Eagles."

Alex stood up, practically shaking in her skin. The tournament had gone by fast and she'd been trying to not look up at Travis who was boring holes through her head. Nick had been sitting beside her the past two hours, talking soothingly to her and rubbing her shoulders. He was such a help, like a big brother to her.

"Go Alex!" she heard Parker, Lily and Megan scream from the stands and a wave of applause followed. She smiled meekly, turning around and waving at them. They waved back and she could've sworn she saw Robbie wink at her when her eyes passed to him. It made her feel a bit better about herself, but she was still shaking. For some strange reason, she was really nervous about facing Tina.

"Okay, Alex. Just calm down…you can do this." She muttered before Tina served. Her racket hit the ball with a strong slam, and Alex's adrenaline hit a high.

……

River leaned against the railing of the ship as Kim did as well. Her little sugar high had gone down and she was now trying to recollect her smoothness. Alex would definitely be playing now.

"Still thinking about her?" Kim asked from beside him. River sighed, wishing it would be so easy to forget about her.

"Yes."

………

The dizziness was driving her crazy. She was winning by a lot. She would win the game. There was only a few seconds left in the timer and her Aspirins had worn off. The flush was coming back and she could feel the stinging in her eyes coming back.

The buzzer sounded and Alex dropped her racket, grinning like an idiot. She'd won. They'd won.

"Alex!" They were all coming towards her, the blurs of color intense. Her knees gave way and she felt arms around her before everything went black again.

……

"River, don't worry. She's fine." Kim tried to remind him, but he frowned again. They were walking around the halls, finding nothing else better to really do. It was cloudy out and there was a bit of a chill to the wind.

"I don't know Kim." River said solemnly. "I just feel like something's wrong."

……

"Alex!" Robbie shook Alex gently as she fell limp against him. People were cheering, swarming around them. The only reason he'd gotten to her first was because he'd practically ran a mile to get to her. Little had he known she'd been running a fever the whole time.

"Robbie, what's wrong with her?" Parker exclaimed, running up beside him. Lily ran beside her, staring at Alex.

"I don't know. She just…collapsed."


	15. Everytime

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in forever! I'm just so busy right now.I hope you like this chapter!

Chapter 15: Everytime

Alex opened her eyes, the bleary glaze sticking only for a minute. The harsh light hurt her eyes immensely and she squeezed them shut quickly.

"Alex!" She felt someone by her side in a second and braved opening her eyes for a second time, shutting them closed at the bright light. What had happened? The tennis tourney, the aspirins fading…black out. She sighed, cringing. She'd passed out again. "Alex, are you awake?"

"Travis?" She forced her eyes open at the smooth voice and met her cousin's stormy blue eyes as she did. The second her eyes were open all the way, Travis was squeezing the air out of her body in a hug. She weakly put her arms around him, but soon found her chest aching with pain. "Trav…I can't breathe."

"Oh." He pulled back from the hug, smiling apologetically. "Sorry. It's just I was…"

"Worried about me?" She grinned, finishing his sentence, coughing when she stopped talking. "I know. And I'm all to blame for it." Smiling up at her cousin wearily, she looked around the empty room. "Where's everyone else?"

Travis raised his eyebrows and paused for a minute before turning around and looking around the room.

"Oh yeah." He said, as if he'd forgotten all about the rest of them. "They're all out waiting. Only family was allowed in. Blood family, not extended." She laughed at the last comment, trying to sit up, but finding it hard and painful to strain herself. "Alex, don't." At Travis's command, she fell back on the pillows, finally realizing she was in the hospital.

"What's wrong with me?" She sighed, knowing it wouldn't be just a regular fever. Travis's faint smile faded and he reached for her hand. She knowingly grabbed it. It was something that a few days wouldn't cure.

"You've got pneumonia. Not a severe case, but it's still pretty bad." He said quietly and she frowned. She had been trying her luck by thinking it was just a fever. "You have to stay in the hospital for a few days over night."

"What!"

……

"Ray, calm down, Alex'll be fine." Parker insisted, but he kept on pacing. After Alex had fainted, it had been not a celebrating time, but a get-Alex-to-the-hospital time. He wished dearly that the aspirins hadn't worn off that quickly. He could've told Travis before she passed out and not get in as much trouble as he was in now. It was entirely his fault.

"It's all my fault." He cried, stopping from pacing and running his hands through his hair. "If I had put my foot down and told her to just stay home."

"It's not your fault Ray." Lily said quietly from the chair beside Parker. They'd been waiting for an hour and a half, but to Ray, it seemed like an eternity. Lily was wrong.it was his fault.

"Yeah." agreed Nick, who was sprawled out on two chairs. He'd come without hesitation. An older brother figure to Alex he was indeed. "We should've known and done something. Don't take all the blame." There were murmured agreements through out the nearly empty waiting room, and his eyes landed on Robbie.

Robbie had never looked more worried in his life. His hair wasn't as frizzy as usual, his eyes weren't pondering with the 'Question Everything' trademark he always carried and his movements were nervous and jerky. He was staring into space, past Ray's shoulder and at the hospital room door Alex and Travis were in. Travis said he'd get them as soon as she'd waken up. Which had been what seemed a forever ago. Who was she, Sleeping Beauty?

"Excuse me?" At the sound of the nurse's voice, Parker, Ray, Lily, Robbie, Nick, Megan, Chase and Stam all looked up quickly, attention diverted directly at her. She smiled, surprised, for a moment before stepping back. "Mr. Strong is allowing the extended family members, as he put it, to come in. If you fit that category, please come with me."

At her word, all eight of the friends stood up, filing behind the nurse and waiting patiently to see Alex. When she'd fainted, everyone had gone into panic mode. What was wrong with her?

……

"Alex!" She looked up from Travis, her face still a bit shocked, but it softened when she saw Ray practically sprinting towards her.

"Ra-" She started to say, but was cut off when he attacked her in a hug, muffling her mouth (not to mention her face) in his shirt.

"Alex, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have let you go out, just to play a tennis game, even though you ended up winning. But you guys won! You were so awesome, A. River would be so proud of you. But also disappointed that you didn't stay home when you were supposed to." Alex couldn't stop laughing as Ray carried on and on, still hugging her. Moving her hand up to his neck, she tickled the spot she'd come to tickle to often and he sprung back from her.

"Ack!" He exclaimed and she laughed again, finally really being able to breathe.

"Sorry, Ray, I needed to get you off of me." She laughed, shrugging. "I couldn't exactly breathe." He smiled sheepishly at her and she grabbed his hand, squeezing it and looking up at the room around her.

"You guys!" Alex exclaimed to the rest of her 'extended family', grinning like mad. One by one (after Ray's horrifying hug) Lily, Parker, Megan, Nick, Stam, Chase and Robbie hugged Alex gently, whispering their own words of affection to her.

"So, what's wrong with you?" Parker asked after Nick had finished hugging her. Alex giggled. It was so like Parker to break the ice in a way like that.

"Pneumonia." Travis answered for her, and she nodded, not really being able to say anything else. She glanced up at Robbie and realized he hadn't stopped looking at her since he'd gotten in the room. "She's got to stay over night."

Parker grinned, standing up and punching the air with her fist. "We are so doing rotational sleepovers!" Alex laughed, seeming to think this was a good idea, but everyone else thought other wise.

"I would if it weren't the season." Chase said, frowning. "My whole family's coming down from Toronto."

"Mine too." Stam piped up, looking at Alex apologetically. "Sorry hun."

"It's okay." Alex said, blinking. "I completely understand. It's Christmas holidays and everyone's families are coming down. I don't expect everyone to be with me. Besides, it's only for a night or two."

"Four nights, actually." Travis corrected and Alex almost screamed.

"What! But that means I'd get home on-"

"Christmas Eve." Everyone in the room finished for her and Alex's slightly soaring heart fell down into the depths of depression. She wouldn't get to do the Secret Santa unveiling...or annual Christmas Eve coffee at Mickey's…stupid pneumonia. She tried not to care about it. She tried not to let it matter. But the tears still stung her eyes and it hurt.

"Oh." She said quietly, her voice cracked with tears. Lily, who had been sitting on the bed beside her, put an arm around her and hugged her.

"We're so sorry Alex." Lily apologized, and there was a murmur of agreement throughout the room. "But we'll be with you as much as possible." Yet another murmur of agreement and Alex smiled.

"Thanks."


	16. A Thousand Miles

A/N: I want to send a big thanks to **that drama queen** who helped me write this chapter. Thanks!

Chapter 16: A Thousand Miles 

River sighed, setting down his coffee mug and turning back to the computer. **_So, how are things down there? I hope the tourney went okay…I know you would've been great any way…_**He stopped typing and kicked the table in frustration, not knowing how to put his feelings into words. _Just say it River…I miss you…it's not that hard…_

"Whatchya doing?" River's eyes drifted up from the computer screen to see Kim's smiling face.

"Just emailing a few people about the weather, rubbing it in that they're stuck in Roscoe while I get to work on my tan," River lied. Kim's eyes narrowed and she walked around the table, plunking herself down on the chair beside River.

"You're writing to Alex about the weather?" She laughed and River's face went incredibly red as he looked at the top of the screen. The email address glared back at him from the screen and he mentally kicked himself. Why had he not scrolled down when she came?

"What's wrong with that, Kimmy? I'm sure Robbie would love to hear about how nice it is here too." River couldn't help but smirk at his comeback, knowing her boyfriend's secret.

She blushed a furious crimson, turning in the chair and biting her tongue to stop from bad mouthing Alex. So far, the _"let's be friends"_ idea was going very roughly…they'd only been on the cruise one day and River had spent most of his time in here, the Internet Café. Yesterday she'd went to look for him, only to find that he was already somewhere else. She'd spent most of that day alone by the poolside.

"Yeah, he probably would." She said stiffly, turning to look River in the eyes again. He avoided her glance and clicked the **'send'** button. A short and sweet email was what he knew Alex would love. He already had a 'Merry Christmas' e-card from Hallmark saved to be sent on Christmas Day.

However, what River didn't know was that Kim didn't want to contact Robbie. If he wanted to drift away, she didn't want to care. "Can we just do something?" she asked with a semi-frustrated, semi-whining tone.

River, stunned by Kim's sudden change of attitude, blinked once or twice before closing his hotmail window. "Um, sure. What would the mighty Miss Carlile like to do?" He asked mockingly, and she frowned at him. "I'm only joking…"

"Well I was being serious." She spat at him, crossing her arms and looking away. "But if you just want to waste time and do nothing all day because you're waiting for your girlfriend who's probably out with her friends right now to email you, that's fine with me." _No it's not, and you know it…_ Kim angrily shut her thoughts off and glanced quickly at River, who was stretched back in his chair. She would kill him if he said he'd stay here…

"Okay…what do you want to do?" Kim watched him, surprised, as he stood up, pushing the chair in behind him and standing above her impatiently. "Well?"

……

"Do I have any email, Robbie?" At the sound of Alex's soft voice, Robbie turned around to see her staring up at the ceiling, a look of wonder on her face. He was checking her email account for her, a task Lily had originally been assigned to do. But Parker had needed help looking for a gift for Alex's Secret Santa (she still hadn't bought a gift), so Lily had decided to go with her…leaving him to do email.

"Um…" He scrolled down the list, looking at the opened emails she'd failed to delete and the new ones from stores, promoting their Christmas sales. "One from **Bluenotes**, talking about their 50 off everything in the store Christmas sale…another one from **Old Navy** saying…"

"Any that matter?" Alex clarified, a hint of hope in her voice. She was obviously waiting for something. Just as he was about to say no, a box appeared at the bottom right corner of the screen.

"Uh…" **_Email message received from River Pierce_**. He froze at the name…that's who she'd been waiting for. River.

"What?" Robbie blinked, opening the message and minimizing the box.

"No…none." He lied, turning around quickly. She luckily wasn't looking at him…but staring out the snow filled window. "Sorry."

"Oh." Her quiet voice sighed, dirty blonde hair surrounding her face in waves. She looked deathly pale, but she sounded a lot better than she had only a few days ago. "Where'd Ray go again?"

Robbie smiled, looking at the door to the hospital room. Ray's job had been simple…make sure she was never upset…something Ray could easily do. He'd disappeared down to the gift shop to buy her a _Get Well Soon_ present. The door handle turned and he was expecting Ray to walk in with a handful of balloons with happy faces on them, but instead it walked in with a large, cushy looking, stuffed koala bear, Alex's favorite animal.

"Ray!" She exclaimed, her pale and weak face breaking into a grin. He grinned back at her, carrying it to her bride style and throwing it in her slightly outstretched arms. Robbie watched as she buried her face in its white gray fur, hugging it. Ray walked over to Robbie, smiling.

"You like it, A?" He asked her before turning to Robbie and speaking in a hushed voice. "It was twenty bucks…I need a four dollar contribution from you later." Robbie raised his eyebrows to Ray, who shrugged and ran over, jumping on Alex's bed.

"I love it!" Alex said, her voice muffled from the koala bear, but happy. "Thanks Ray."

"Well, it's not just from me…it's from me, Travis, Lily, Robbie and Parker." He admitted, looking her straight in the eye. "But I did pick it out." Alex grinned at him, holding one of her arms out for him to hug her.

"Thank you…you too Robbie!" She called over to him and he nodded, laughing.

"No problem Alex." He replied, watching Ray jump into a discussion about a movie they should watch before turning back to the computer and beginning to read the message.

_**Hey Alex,**_

**_Man, the cruise has been so awesome. It's so hot here and yesterday I went snorkeling at the stop the ship made. It was so cool…I wish you could be here with me (instead of Kim, but don't tell her I said that or she'll kill me in my sleep)_**

_**So how are things down there? I hope the tourney went okay…I know you would've been great any way…**_

_**Well, I'd better go, but watch out for a Christmas e-card maybe coming from me …write me back…miss you…**_

_**Love, River.**_

Robbie finished reading, a stone cold feeling washing over him. Kim didn't matter anymore…but Alex's feelings towards River did…he was a no good, rotten snake, and Robbie knew it, but she didn't seem to see that. _I wonder what she does see in him?_

"Robbie! Come watch this movie! It's Matt Dillon, 'cept like 20 years younger!" Ray laughed from Alex's hospital bed. Robbie closed the window and shook off his feelings…maybe if Alex didn't know about what River was doing on his vacation, she would see differently. "Robbie!"

"I'm coming." He said, turning around from the computer in Alex's room and walking to the chair beside her bed. Ray was already sprawled out beside her, leaving him no choice. "So what are we watching? _The Outsiders_?"

……

"Who knew there was a _Build-a-Bear _shop on this cruise ship?" Kim exclaimed, hugging a teddybear dressed in a dragon costume close to her. River nodded, looking at the teddybear he'd made for Alex. It was a cream colored bear wearing a tennis outfit, holding a tennis racket in one of its hands. She would love it…especially if they'd won the tourney. "Well, I can guess who you got that for."

River looked up at Kim, who was watching him observe the bear in silence. "Yeah, well seeing as you just had to poke around in my life, of course you do." He looked down at the bear again, smiling. "I got it for her incase she won the tournament…and also for Christmas."

"A cute little jock bear to go with a cute little jock girl. Perfect." She sneered, walking quickly ahead of him. She couldn't be falling for River…she couldn't. She liked Robbie…not River. _Robbie McGrath…_

"I think you got the wrong bear. Maybe you should've gotten the dragon with curly black hair and a pink sundress on?" He said coldly from behind her and she stopped, narrowing her eyes to slits and pursing her lips. _Strike two…_

"And maybe you should've gotten the sloth with a white t-shirt and Hawaiian shorts on…because you're being so slow!" Kim tried restraining her voice from a shout to a cold leer, but it came out louder than she intended it to. He narrowed his eyes at her, crossing his arms and holding his bear for Alex in his left hand. A silence formed over them and Kim looked nervously around at the vacationing people. Hopefully no one noticed two Juniors glaring at each other in the middle of the small shopping area.

"This isn't working Kim…we have to find something we both agree on that won't result in us fighting." River finally broke the rock solid ice and spoke the truth. "Now what that is, I'm not sure…but if you see something that interests you, let me know."

"Fine." She agreed with a chill to her voice. "I saw an ad for rock climbing…"


	17. Party for Two

"Raymond? Will you go get some more eggnog from the kitchen? It's on the counter..."

Ray sighed as his parents party droned on, getting up from his seat on the staircase. She was late...not something unusual for Lily, but this time it was really late. 45 minutes past starting time late. Turning into the kitchen, he looked around on the counter for the crystal pitcher filled with eggnog.

Another year gone past...another Brennan/Randal Christmas party. The past few years had been great...but that was only because Lily had been with him then. And now, because of his best friend being in the hospital, she had decided to walk to his house instead of come with her parents after visiting Alex. He would've gone with her as well, but his mom had gone and been the meanest person alive by making him clean up for this _'important party.'_

_"But mom,"_ he'd complained. _"We see the Randals like every day. Do you really think that they're going to care about what our house looks like?"_ This smart remark had added hanging up the Christmas Holly to his list of chores that was already leading off the page. The concept of cleaning an almost perfectly spotless house seemed stupid to him...the front door bell rang as he carried the pitcher into the living room and he hurriedly set it down, making for the door.

……

Lily was distracted. She couldn't help but worry about her friend. Alex was a very social person who loved being surrounded by people. She couldn't imagine how being cooped up must feel for her friend. She sighed as the light fluffy snowflakes fell from above her. She hoped that Robbie had gotten her text message and could get to the hospital to keep Alex company when Travis and Parker were to get to the Haynes' residence for a holiday gathering. As bummed out as Travis was about Alex, he was looking forward to meeting Nanny Haynes.

"Lily! There you are!" Ray exclaimed as he opened the door to face her, her long blonde hair done up in soft curls. "I've been waiting for you forever!" She smiled at him as she walked in, her cheeks slightly pink from the nippy weather outside. Ray closed the door behind her, helping her take off her jacket and hanging it up on an empty hook. The scent of warm turkey flowed through the air and his stomach quaked with hunger. She couldn't have come at a better time...for being late that was.

Lily smiled faintly. "Sorry I'm late..." she whispered, "I had a really hard time leaving Alex behind..."

His smile faded slightly and his thinking dipped from food to Alex. She had been so weak the last time he'd left her bedside...but his giant koala bear had cheered her up quite immensely. "I understand...so how is the little lady?"

Lily followed Ray towards the kitchen. "She's trying really hard to be happy for Travis and Parker but I can tell she's really depressed."

He laughed out loud, shaking his head. "Of course she's depressed. She has to spend Christmas Eve in the hospital! And to make matters worse, she's got peumonia!" He walked towards the cupboard and grabbed a crystal goblet his mom had set out, turning to Lily. "Egg nog?"

She nodded, accepting the offer. "When are we taking our Secret Santa gathering to her? I mean, maybe that'll cheer her up."

He grabbed the carton from the fridge and emptied it's contents into the goblet, handing it to her. "That's a great idea! We'll just, you know, ask Mickey to borrow the shop and bring it to the hospital! I'm sure that they'll let us in the hospital with Mickey's in tow."

Lily chucked, then slugged him. "That's not what I meant." She rolled her eyes. "One of us has her present...it'd be a shame if she didn't get it." She paused then asked, "Do you know who Alex's Secret Santa is?"

Ray raised his eyebrows as his mother bustled into the kitchen, shaking his head. "I have no idea...I wish I knew though." His stomach gave another growl as the turkey came out of the oven and the mashed potatoes signaled with a ding that they were finished. "Why?"

"I was just wondering...if we all can't be there, I was thinking maybe at least her Secret Santa could skip out on family stuff." Lily had a thoughtful look on her face as she watched her parents and Ray's get dinner prepared.

"Well, if one of us skips out, I think that everyone should...we'd booked out Christmas Eve, remember? That's why we couldn't have the party then." Ray said.

"Dinner's ready kids!" He grinned as his mom yelled for he and Lily in the kitchen. Turning to her, he grabbed her arm and began to pull her towards the kitchen.

"Come on, Lily. We can worry about the Mickey's thing later...why don't we just eat and be merry for now?"

"All right," She finally conceded, smiling afterwards. "That turkey looks really good."

……

Travis sighed as he and Parker walked all the way from the hospital to the Haynes' residence. It was his first time being really serious about anyone and meeting the parents. The timing couldn't have been worse. He thought back to the look on Alex's face when he told her about going to Parker's for a Meet-The-Parents type dinner. he saw the different emotions flash through her eyes: excitement, anger, jealousy, frustration, joy, pride…

"Parker, I have a confession to make," he whispered in her ear as they made their way to the front door of the house.

She turned to face him, catching his arm and pulling him back. The joy held up inside her that out of all the friends she was going to bring to this dinner, Travis had agreed to come. Travis...her Travis. But his last words had frozen her...

"What's up?" She asked, pulling her jacket closer to her as she tried to warm herself. If he wanted to tell her something, she would rather it be now instead of the middle of the dinning table in Nanny Haynes company. Knowing her grandmother, she'd make him share the secret with the whole family if she saw Travis whispering slightly into Parker's ear.

"I'm kinda nervous about meeting your family." The whisper was hushed and quickly uttered, showing Travis' nerves.

Parker smiled brightly at him, his blue eyes full of his feelings. Giggling slightly, she put an arm around his shoulder and turned him to face her house. "Well, I understand. I mean, if I was in your position and I was meeting Nanny Haynes for the first time, I'd be slightly nervous too. But don't be...my family is completely normal...to a certain extent."

Travis exhaled sharply. "Is there anything I should know before I face them?" he asked in a slightly more confident voice, his other emotions only slightly seeping through in his tone of voice. She looked down, sighing and crossing her arms. Was there anything he should know?

"Well," Parker said, tugging on his arm and continuing to walk. "Nanny Haynes won't let anything get past her ears at the dinner table...or anywhere else for that matter. So don't try and whisper something to just one person if you don't want to share it with the whole family."

As they reached the steps, Parker's stomach clenched with nervousness. What if her family did act weirder than usual? There was no guarantee they would act completely normal...heck, when did they ever? To Lily, Parker was the most normal one in her family...and Nanny Haynes was a whole different dimension of weirdness.

Travis' phone went off and he smiled when he saw the encouraging text message he just received. He stuffed the cell phone back in his jacket and told Parker, "Okay, I'm ready."

She grinned at him, nudging his arm. "I think you were always ready." Turning to hide her blush, another jolt of nervousness reached her as she pressed the doorbell. An awkward silence passed through the space between them and Parker bit her lip. She hated silences more than she hated cheerleaders...which was really saying something. "Was that from Alex?" She asked, inquiring towards his message.

Travis nodded. "I think she's back to being herself...somewhat." He decided to show the message to Parker**_. dont worry abt me. im well taken care of. who knew male nurses cud be so hot?lol good luck 2nite_**

Parker laughed at Alex's text message, picturing her friend's gleeful grin when her medicine time came. "I think you're right, Mr. Strong." The door handle turned and she turned to face it as the door to her house opened slowly and an old woman peeked out the side.

An elder woman of about 60, somewhat reminiscent of the old lady on _Everybody Loves Raymond_, wrapped Parker in an energetic embrace. "Parky!" she exclaimed, "It's about time you got home! Dinner's ready!" Travis laughed softly at the greeting.

"Nanny Haynes." Parker breathed, hugging the old woman back as she struggled to breath. "I want you to meet...a friend of mine." Nanny Haynes put her down, turning her beady eyes to Travis as Parker moved beside him. "This is Travis Strong, a good friend of mine. He's here to have dinner with us."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Haynes," Travis said in his most polite tone of voice.

"Nonsense, Travis. You can call me Nanny!" the elder woman reassured him as she closed the front door, "Lily does." She noticed that Travis was the only one there and asked Parker, "I was under the impression your other friends would be here. What happened?"

Parker smiled nervously at Travis as he helped her take off her coat. 'Such a gentleman...' "Alex is in the hospital, Robbie's with her, Megan is out of town and Lily and Ray have a family meeting." She counted that as the third time that day she'd told her grandmother only Travis would be coming with her...her sudden forgetfulness made Parker wonder if she ever really did listen to her.

"I hope you didn't make too much to eat, Nanny."

"There's no such thing as too much to eat."

"Mother, there's something wrong with your stew!" another woman exclaimed from the kitchen.

"There seems to be some sort of glitch in the kitchen," Nanny Haynes announced, then she called out to Parker's mom, "Marianne, I told you not to overcook the stew!" She exhaled sharply and told the teens, "Why don't we wait for the mess in the kitchen to get sorted out in the living room? Parker's mom is such a modern woman, no time for cooking. What would happen if I wasn't here?" Travis chuckled, following the elder woman into the living room, giving Parker a bright smile.

"The house would burn down, Nanny." Parker laughed, turning to Travis as her grandmother bustled off to the kitchen. "I told you she was weird."

Travis looked at all the pictures of Parker on the mantel, from baby pictures, to school pictures, piano recitals and family events. "I didn't know you were classically trained, Parks," he commented when he stopped at the picture of 8 year old Parker at the piano.

She shrugged, falling on the couch beside her sleeping Grandfather. "I dunno. Piano's always been there...it's what taught me about music." Grinning, Parker posed her hands in a position that showed she was mocking holding a base. "And how to play the base guitar."

Travis continued to look at the other pictures. "Look at you! You're so adorable!" he added as he stopped at a picture of Parker as a toddler sitting on Nanny Haynes' lap.

She blushed at the comment, trying not to think of it as a secret confession. They were not together...they were not together. Travis had only agreed to come because he wanted to be a good friend...they were not together. "Yes, I was...what happened?" She laughed, watching him observe the pictures placed through out the Holly on the mantle.

Travis turned to face Parker and replied jokingly, "Haha, might have been something you ate!" Nanny Haynes returned to the living room.

"If you think those are adorable, you should see the ones in my album!" she exclaimed. At the mention of Nanny's photo album, Parker seemed to coil into the couch. "Nanny, please don't show him those!"

Travis glanced at Parker, his curiosity intensifying at her reaction. Before he could say anything, Parker's mom, announced, "Dinner's ready!" Nanny Haynes sighed.

"Maybe after dinner then, Travis."

Travis' eyes sparkled. "Maybe, Nanny. Maybe."

"Saved by the cook." Parker muttered, jumping up off the couch as her Nanny shut the cupboard door holding the books filled with the most embarrassing times of her life. "Come on Trav...dinner time!"

Travis followed Parker obediently. They headed to the dining room table where everything was set up. He helped Parker to her seat, and even helped Nanny Haynes as well. He felt Parker's dad's eyes on him but that didn't stop him from being polite to the two ladies at the same end of the table. "Oooh such a charming young man," Nanny Haynes commented, "I'm surprised you haven't snatched him up yet. Young people like musicians, don't they?"

Travis smiled at Nanny Haynes and then glanced at Parker. "Sure they do. Musicians are gifted artists. Of course, I like them."

"Nanny!" Parker exclaimed after Travis finished talking, blushing a crimson to rival the reindeers nose on Nanny Haynes' Christmas sweater. At her sudden outburst, her family's eyes were laid on her and she squirmed in discomfort. "Um...pass the gravy?"

……

It was the first time Alex had truly seen Travis happy. She knew that while it was unspoken, his strong feelings for Parker existed. Although she wanted him to stay, she knew it would crush both of them if he did. Parker was excited to have Travis meet her family, while Travis was just as excited meeting with the famous Nanny Haynes Parker always quoted. She couldn't disappoint the happy pair.

When they had assured her that someone else would come, she wondered who would be able to escape from family affairs to keep her company. She jumped in surprise when Robbie burst into the room, gasping for air.

"Robbie, are you okay?" she asked, slightly concerned.

"I came...as soon as Lily called...and now...I'm out of breath." He gasped, clutching at his wool jacket as his face thawed out. The chilly weather outside was even worse when running, and he'd slipped a couple times on the ice lining the sidewalks. He remembered Lily's worried voice on the phone, asking him to go watch Alex at the hospital.

Sure, he'd had to skip out on dinner with his grandparents, but he knew that she hated being alone at the hospital. "How are you, Alex?"

Alex sighed. "I'm doing alright," she said, feigned cheerfulness. She was twirling a piece of blonde hair around her fingers, a sign of nervous energy.

Robbie narrowed his eyes at Alex, shrugging off his jacket and sitting down on the edge of the bed. She looked pale and weak, a mere memory of what she used to be. "Liar." He grinned at her, nudging her foot. "What's wrong?"

Alex's eyes faintly sparkled with mischief. "Travis wants to hug her, he wants to kiss her, he wants to tell her that he loves her..." she sang softly, imitating Parker's style. She hoped Robbie would go with the subject change. She didn't want to have a serious talk with Robbie. He was the last person she wanted to have that with.

"So the fact that Parker and Travis are blind to their love for each other is what is making you not yourself right now? Or is it just the sickness?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Subject change, McGrath. Maybe I didn't want to tell you what was not making me myself," she snapped. Robbie leaned back, wincing at the wiplash from her snap.

"Well, I'm sorry for trying to help out a friend...my best friend." He stood up, grabbing his coat and staring at her, her green eyes out of color. "I want to be like it used to be Alex, before the kiss. Please, don't shut me out." When she didn't respond, he frowned. "I'll leave then. You obviously weren't expecting me."

She sat in silence, tears burning her eyes as she stared at the plain blue sheets on her bed. He should know what's wrong…he'd been checking her email for her everyday…

"River just hasn't emailed me since he's been on the cruise…that's all." Alex said quietly, twisting the bed sheets in her hands. Robbie stopped, frozen in his spot and she wondered if he'd known all along. "That's what's been bothering me…that and this stupid hospital."

She glared at the whitewash walls, the pale blue moonlight shining through the curtains. She hated this place…this sickness she had. It was slowly killing her and twisting her sanity. He turned around, looking at her with sympathy.

"Well…all I can offer is company right now, Alex." Robbie sat down at the edge of her bed, nudging her foot. "And I'm…I'm sorry about the whole, um, River thing." Her green eyes flashed with a flare of curiosity. Robbie never said 'um', except for when he was nervous. Why would he be nervous now?

"It's okay." She sighed, keeping her eyes on him. "And your company is well appreciated." He smiled at her and set his coat down permanently. "Did you really leave your family gathering just to come here for me?"

……

River smiled as his parents and Kim's got up to dance…they were at another dinner on the cruise, something that happened nightly. A slow waltz began to play and he turned to Kim, observing her. Her hair was long and had gotten blonder from the sun she seemed to be absorbing. She looked golden…like Alex's hair after a hard game of tennis.

He sighed, running his hands through his hair and blinking. He was falling for her, and he hated it. She hadn't replied once…Christmas was coming quicker, and Kim was becoming more and more bearable. Maybe she'd feigned an interest in him before he'd left just because she wanted him gone? Her reaction had seemed almost real…but what if she had just been lying?

"River!" His attention turned to Kim, who was staring at him almost nervously, but with a bit of an edge. "Do you um…want to dance?"

"Huh?" He was completely dazed and didn't really click. She pursed her shimmery lips, looking up at the ceiling before sighing.

"Do you want to dance? With me?" Kim asked, her manner rushed. River blinked before standing up and tucking in his chair.

"Oh…sure."

……

Her stomached curled and she couldn't believe he'd agreed. So she would admit it only to herself. She, Kim Carlile, was falling for River Pierce. Falling for his charm, falling for his good looks, his dazed baby blue eyes…falling for the famous River Pierce. And she hated it.

"So, are you enjoying the cruise?" His question startled her and she smiled, looking nervously down.

"Yeah, I am." They moved around her parents, who smiled at her and River as if they could read her thoughts. "Nice to get away from things at home in Roscoe. How about you? Enjoying it? Or is it too bland for Mr. River Pierce?"

He smiled at her and she felt the heat rise to her cheeks as they waltzed around the dance floor, knowing the classical moves off by heart and not missing a beat.

"No…I'm enjoying it. I just really miss home…not being there for Christmas and all."

"And Alex." She couldn't stop herself from saying the last bit. It was just there and free to say in the open. His cheeks flushed red and he looked away from her and out into the midnight blue sky.

"Maybe." He coughed, clearing his throat after. Her heart sank, and Kim tried to smile at him. She tried to not care that he wasn't falling for her…but for someone else. A cute little jock girl for a handsome jock guy.

"Yeah." Kim couldn't stop her legs from leaving the dance floor and running quickly down the boardwalk. Kim couldn't stop the tears come flooding out of her eyes like a fountain. Kim couldn't stop her sobs from becoming inaudible. Kim couldn't stop her feelings for River becoming out of hand.

"Kim?" Her hand flew to her mouth and tried to cover it. "Kimmy?" Finding a staircase hidden in the shadows, she collapsed on them, memories flooding back to her. Suddenly she was five again, playing hide-and-go-seek at the Christmas gathering.

_She giggled as the footsteps grew louder and his voice came into shot. "Kim?"_

"Kim?"

"_Kimmy?"_

"Kimmy?"

"_Where are you? I'm coming to find you…" She giggled again and the closet door flew open, revealing her hiding space. River came into view and he grinned at her triumphantly. "I found you!"_

"Where are you?"

"_River! I'm supposed to be in a magical forest! Like Lucy in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. You haven't found me yet!"_

"_Yes I have! You're right there between the coats and the boots. There's no magical forest in a closet." _

"Kim?"

"_I guess not…"_

"Where are you?"

"_Kim…"_

"_Kim." _


	18. Perfect Christmas

Chapter 18: Perfect Christmas

_Christmas Eve, 7:30 pm_

The doorbell at Mickey's rang as a group of young friends walked in, their cheeks rosy and their hair full of snow. Looking outside, Travis stared at the swirling snow, sighing. It was just the type of night Alex would've loved…she always got a feeling when the first snow of the season came.

"Okay, mission Bring Mickey's to Alex has been…initiated." Ray said, turning to the group and pointing to each of them as they laughed silently. "Lily, you're coming with me to get the coffee and baked goods. Travis and Parker…" He grinned mischievously at the pair, crossing his arms. "Find Alex's favorite CD."

"But Ray," Parker started, crossing her arms. "Alex's favorite CD-"

"No excuses!" Ray interrupted her, shaking his head in determination. "It's up to us to make this night special for Alex! Think of it as 007 would…it's our mission." A roll of Parker's eyes was all he received and Lily laughed, looking at the clock hanging on the wall as she swung the large bag with their Secret Santa presents in it around on her wrist.

"Let's go Mr. Bond." She joked, grabbing his hands and pulling him to the counter. "We need to get that coffee for our _mission_."

"Parker!" The brunette turned around, staring Ray square in the eye as he was being pulled away. "Don't forget…CD…"

"Yeah, I know."

……

"So Mr. Strong, what do you think your cousin's favorite CD is?" Parker smacked her lips together, her fingers tracing along the smooth plastic covers of the albums lining the racks at Mickey's. Travis shook his head, picking up several random CD's.

"Coldplay, The Flaming Lips, Nickelback, Norah Jones, Matchbox 20, Billy Talent, Maroon 5, Aerosmith…" He trailed off, filling both hands with CD's. "She's very random."

"Think Mickey will let us take out a loan?" They both shared a laugh and Travis put the CD's down, the click of the plastic cases eroding the normal sounds of Mickey's. "Does she have one favorite that she could listen to?"

"Aerosmith!" The sudden outburst in front of the pair made them jump back from the counter, looking across the island of CD's to find Ed and Ted grinning at them.

"And how would you know that?" Travis asked, his voice misty with the sense of annoyance. Ted picked up a pile of CD's he held, setting them in front of Travis.

"She listens to this one on her walkman nearly everyday after tennis practice…this one," He picked up another one standing on the pile and waved it in front of his face. "Almost everyday at lunch, unless," He used his other hand to pick up the last one. "She prefers to listen to this one."

"We don't exactly know the ones she listens to at home." Ed added as an afterthought, looking at Travis. "I'm sure you do Mr. T." Parker grinned at Ed, punching his arm lightly.

"I'm sure he does, Mr. Rudolph." A blush crept up to Ed's dark skin and he looked down at his bright emerald green sweater that was bearing a large Rudolph the reindeer face on the front of it, snowflakes stuck around it.

"My Grandma had a party tonight…and uh…this was my present." Travis shook his head, shuffling his feet and accidentally hitting Parker.

"Oh, uh, sorry." He laughed and she blushed, turning to face him as she almost fell over.

"It's okay." She said quietly, smiling at him before turning her head. "What?"

Ed and Ted were grinning at them with a I-know-something-you-don't-know look and it bothered her. And now it seemed to bother Travis too.

"You guys, what is it?" He said strongly and Parker looked up towards the ceiling where Ted was looking, her cheeks turning a bright red when it hit her.

"Oh…um…"

……

"Do you think Robbie's keeping her distracted?" Lily hit her forehead, rubbing it afterward. Ray was overzealous about this…it's as if he expected Alex or Robbie to walk in and accuse them of doing something.

"Ray, I'm sure he's keeping her distracted. The fact she's still in the hospital until 12 tonight must mean nothing to you." She said, sighing. Mickey turned around with their drinks and she gasped, looking at their containers.

"Here are your drinks." The large, happy man said and Lily looked at him, her hand pressing against the counter.

"Mickey, I said to go. Not for here." She whined and he stared at her with hard eyes.

"Lily, Ray. Sorry…either I pour these into foam cups and let you go or you can enjoy it when it's hot. I'm not making another batch." Lily nodded, putting her head on Ray's shoulder and the boy looked at her briefly before turning back to Mickey, smiling.

"Cups please." He said and Mickey rolled his eyes before taking the mugs and setting them on the back counter. "This night has been one disaster after another."

The doorbell dinged as someone else walked in and he turned around, his eyes widening.

……

Travis felt the awkwardness float between him and Parker as his cheeks lit up, his eyes staring upward at the mistletoe hanging above them. She seemed to feel it too because she tried to laugh it off, her face tinged pink as well.

"You have to kiss!"

"It's the rule." He closed his eyes, frowning slightly as his fist bawled. He could kill both of Ed and Ted right now…but his feelings for Parker weren't helping as they pushed him to reach over and wrap her in his arms.

"Well, as Nanny Haynes would say, you can't ignore a rule or it'll come back to bite you." Parker laughed, playing with a bit of her hair as she avoided eye contact with him.

"That's true. Live in the moment." Travis said quietly, reaching forward and pulling her closer to him. "Parker…I…"

"Of course she meant the rule about feeding the dog my salad, but you get the idea." Parker paused, glancing up at him."It's not a big deal, right?" She smiled, looking away from him. "It's just a kiss."

"Yeah." He felt himself being drawn into her. "It's just a kiss." The space between them was gone as the doorbell chimed again, cold air rushing through the place.

……

Robbie's arm slid around Alex's waist as she held onto the doorframe, her fingernails scratching against the wood. She was still weak and needed as much help as she could get…he had been surprised that the doctor had allowed her out. And the first place she'd wanted to go to had been…

"Mickey's." She sighed, setting her head against his shoulder. "I feel like I haven't been here in ages." Her voice was weak and it wasn't Alex, but she'd snapped at him about 5 times today…she was getting better.

"That's because you haven't been here in ages." Robbie laughed lightly, looking up at Ray. "Oh dear."

"Alex!" Suddenly, Ed and Ted, who had pounced upon her like two little kids on Christmas morning with presents, lifted her away from him. She just laughed, hugging both of them as they brought her to the couch, sitting down beside her. "We've missed you!"

Robbie's eye caught Travis and Parker, who were pulling away from each other slowly. Had they just been-

"Kissing!" He turned at the word to see Ed and Ted pointing at the couple, who had turned red as Rudolph's nose. Alex's pale face lit up and Travis walked over quickly to them, setting a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Okay, you two. You can go now. It's almost 8." He stammered and Alex hit his leg with her foot as Ted and Ed scrambled out of Mickey's, screaming something about A Christmas Story. "What?"

"Finally get up the courage?" She grinned and Travis blushed before hugging her lightly.

"Merry Christmas." He said softly, sitting down beside her on the couch. Robbie began to make his way over to the seat, but Ray jumped in front of him, stopping him.

"Robbie! I told you to stall and keep her there!" The glare was apparent in Ray's eyes and Robbie rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "What?"

"She drilled me with about a million questions when she remembered the Secret Santa revealing!" He hissed, glancing quickly at Alex to make sure she hadn't heard anything. "I had no choice when the doctor said she could go. A stampede couldn't have kept Alex away from Mickey's tonight."

"Fine, fine." Ray turned around, pointing to Lily. "She's got the drinks. And you owe Mickey twenty bucks." He grinned cheekily before running to tackle Alex in hug, leaving Robbie flipping through his wallet, muttering angrily to himself.

……

"Well, I think I really enjoyed that meeting." Alex laughed, looking at her dirty blonde stuffed teddy bear Robbie had gotten her for Secret Santa. It held a tennis racket and was dressed in tennis attire; it's green eyes smiling. "I will name her…Cameron." In memoriam to her friend, Cameron White that goes to Cascadia, a Tennis Academy in British Columbia, she had decided to name the bear after him.

They'd met by chance in London at a Tennis game…he'd had the seat beside her and they'd both gone alone…by the end of the day, their constant comparing of the many players had formed a friendship. Alex could almost hear his voice…

_"Roddrick should have one…Heart was no match for him." Cameron sighed, shaking his head as they ran under a nearby ledge. It was raining for a change in London, and Alex was brimming with happiness that she'd met a cute and nice guy from a Tennis Academy who shared a passion for the sport like she did. Not to mention he was from Cascadia…the only place Alex had ever wanted to go to school at._

"_Heart played a good game…you have to give him that." The witty blonde answered, her green eyes lighting up in debate. "But you're right…Roddrick should've won that match. There was no comparison in their playing tactics." _

"_I bet he would've won if there hadn't been so many screaming girls," Cameron laughed and Alex giggled with him, pointing to a coffeehouse just ahead of them. _

"_Care to join me for a cup of coffee?" She asked and the tall guy nodded, extending his hand. _

"_After you…"_

They'd remained pen pals ever since and the small bear deserved no other name.

"I really enjoyed it too. Thanks for this, Alex. It's awesome!"Ray held up the collection of The Three Stooges DVDs that were carefully wrapped in a green bag. She grinned at him, looking ahead at the street. _He'll never know I wasn't the one who picked it out…_

"And this…Parker really knows how to pick a present." Travisheld his copy of '_Inspirational Quotes from Religious and World Leaders_' up proudly. He'd been nervous when she'd opened her present, but she'd shrieked for joy when she'd held up the paisley scarf and vintage earrings.

"Personally, I love mine." Lily smiled at Ray, flipping through her multicolor paged guitar notebook and sparkly pen he had given her for writing down songs and ideas. "This will last me a year and a half."

"You're welcome Lily." Ray grinned, looking up at the Strong's residence the 5 friends had stopped in front of. "Travis and Alex's house for eggnog!" He yelled before running quickly up the front lawn with Lily.

"You guys! I don't know if that's the best idea…" Travis trailed off as he ran after them, shaking his head. Alex and Robbie were left behind and the boy held up his gift bag, smiling.

"The new U2 CD…" He said, shaking his head. "I don't know how Lily knew that's what I wanted." She grinned happily, deciding he too would never know that she had told Lily what to get him. Secret Santa hadn't been as secret as it would've hoped to be.

"It's got some great songs on it." Alex smiled quietly, looking up at the house. "Thanks for the present, Robbie. It's great, really."

……

His feelings for her blew over and Robbie reached out, gently stopping her with his hand. These feelings…were new. But he had a sneaking suspicion that they'd always been there, just locked down too deep in his heart for him to get to.

"What is it?" She asked, looking at him with a slightly worried face. Being in the hospital had made the once rock strong girl now a soft, compassionate rose. And the thorns were still there… "Robbie?"

"I have one more present for you, A." Robbie's voice was barely audible as he pulled her close, wrapping her in his arms and softly kissing her, feeling a wave of emotions come over him as she did.

The front door opened and the kiss lasted for only a few seconds as Alex pulled away, a blush creeping to her pale skin as she looked towards the door. Travis stood there, a grin on his face and Robbie wanted nothing more than to punch him out.

"Alex! Mum and Dad! They're home!" He shouted and a grin broke to her face as turned to Robbie, her green eyes lighting up. "Come on!"

"I'm coming!" She said, her soft voice exasperated as she ran towards the house, her head turning to him. "Come on, Robbie!"

"I'll be there in a second…" _as soon as I unleash my anger for Travis out on the front yard.'_ His fake smile didn't seem to matter to her as she ran up the stairs, pausing a minute to regain her composure and fight off any dizziness she felt.

"Mum! Dad!" Two people…two people who could only be her parents suddenly embraced her. Lily and Ray had each other…Travis and Alex had their parents…

Turning his back, Robbie headed for his family filled home, not noticing Alex glance behind her at his turned back.

……

"Where are our parents again?" Kim asked River, who was lounging on the beach chair beside her, gazing up at the stars. It was Christmas Eve…back home, Robbie would be sharing eggnog with his friends at Mickey's, while she sat on the lonely pool deck with River Pierce.

"The Winter's Christmas dinner party." He sighed, looking over at her. "We were asked not to come."

"Right." Kim nodded, looking up at the sky. "Wow…there are so many stars up there."

"Yeah." He sat up, grinning. "Kim, I say we have some fun…it's Christmas Eve after all?" She sat up too, raising her eyebrows. River's tone of voice did not sound good…not good at all.

"What are you suggesting?" She asked, her tone annoying and not at all pleased. He grinned at her, helping her to her feet with his hand.

"I'm suggesting we break into one of the mini bars in our rooms…"

"River!" She grabbed her hand back from his, staring at him with bewildered eyes. "I can't believe you would think to do something like that!"

"Come on, Kimmy." His blue eyes turned to puppy eyes and Kim looked away, trying to fixate her gaze on the rocky blue waves. "We deserve to have some fun…remember the Mardi Gras party your parents threw? We had white wine and liquor then…it's not like we've never had it before."

She bit her lip, looking at him. She had enjoyed that…the smooth, cool taste of the wine over her tongue… "Fine. But if we get caught, it's all your fault."

……

"Oh, the wonders of a simply bobby pin." Kim pulled back from the lock on the mini bar, a twisted bobby pin in her hands. She'd always had wanted to do that…her cousin had shown her how to when she was 13…the time had never come. But after River unsuccessfully tried to break the lock, Kim had seen her chance. "Here we are…ooo…"

"Smirnoff." River said, reaching forward and grabbing to bottles. Sliding one of them into Kim's hands, she stared at the glass bottle with a feeling of remorse. What if someone walked in? What if they were caught? It would surely ruin the chance of them ever getting to go on a cruise or vacation again.

The liquor sloshing around in side the glass frame of the bottle seemed to be calling to her and she unscrewed the lid, turning to River who was holding his in front of hers.

"Merry Christmas." She clinked the glass against his after sending a long glance at the door.

"Merry Christmas indeed."

……

"I propose," a drunken River said about an hour after their first Smirnoff. "Tha since itss our last night on the cruise ship, we shoold be allowed on the deck…fined our ownn spot, ya know, Kimmy?" He downed the rest of his third drink, giggling. He was drunk…and he loved it.

Kim seemed to be taking her drinks about ten times worse than he was. Pushing him down on the bed, she laughed out loud, rolling over and setting her head against his chest.

"I think this is fine." She slurred, looking up at him with glazed brown eyes. "You know…mee an' Robbie never, ever did anything like' thiss." Kim took a sip of her Bacardi, a third round for her. "I don even miss him."

"Why woold you miss a cheating guy like hiem?" The sober River in his head was shouting **no**, **Alex will never forgive you**, but he couldn't stop the drunken River from spilling his blackmailing secret. "Befoe me an' Alex fell in love," he laughed, anything being funny at the present minute. "She followed Robbie into the janitor'ss clozet at Mickey'z…and they had their own private make out session."

"Wha?" An angry Kim spilled, sitting up a bit. "Tha's not fair…he'z my boyfrien! Not herz…" A grin escaped her lips as she fell back on River snuggling her head in the crook of his neck. "You woold never do tha' to me…woold you Riv?"

"Noo." He said, turning to face her, with difficulty, on his side. "I woold never, ever cheat on a preetty girl like you. I…I luve you." His last words reflected his own feelings the past few days, the feelings that he'd sworn would never escape his own thoughts, but his drunken conscious didn't seem to care.

"I luve you too, Riverr. Yu're a great guy." As he downed the rest of his drink, she sat up again, turning to him and kissing him passionately, rivaling the kiss between Robbie and Alex with great heat. It was a perfect Christmas indeed…


	19. I'll Be Home for Christmas

Chapter 19: I'll be Home for Christmas

**_Ding dong…_**

The McGrath's doorbell droned on in a dull chime. The air was cold and chilly, but she didn't mind. Her long hair was down and covering her neck, and under Travis's order, she had a scarf and a hat on to keep her fragile health wavering in the good and well area. It was Christmas day and after spending the morning with her family, Alex found herself on Robbie's doorstep.

Why she was there, she didn't really know, but when the door swung open, she didn't have time to decide. Robbie blinked at her in curiosity, leaning against the doorframe in a quick attempt to keep his cool. She smiled a bit uneasily, wringing her scarf tassels together in her hands.

"Alex." He sighed in surprise, and for the first time Alex felt awkward to be around one of her best friends. Robbie had kissed her last night…really kissed her…and she had a sneaking suspicion that was one of the reasons her feet had trekked to his house on Christmas Day. The other reason sat in her hands, all wrapped up in decorative Christmas wrapping paper. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to…" She tried to think of what to say, but no words came to mind. _Present Alex…to give him his present._ "I came to give you your present."Alex say the faint pink tinge rise to his cheeks and she smiled, peering into his house. "It's kinda cold out, McGrath."

"Oh! Right…come on in." Robbie smiled, stepping out of the doorway and allowing her to come in. Alex wiped her feet off on the welcoming mat while handing him the square shaped gift. "You didn't have to get me anything, Alex."

"Nonsense," She tisked, shivering out the rest of the cold and nippy air. "It's Christmas. I had to get you something, didn't I?"

"I guess." He mumbled and she admired his honesty, something she'd never quite gotten the hang of. "Would you like a cup of hot apple cider? Or lunch? Or something?"

"Um…I should only stay a while. My parents and my Grandmother are here." Alex said hastily, coming up with an excuse. "I want to see you open your present though. Well, partially."

Robbie smiled, gesturing to the living room and beginning to walk. Getting what he meant, Alex kicked off her boots and took off her mittens, placing them in to jacket pockets. The McGrath's house was elaborately decorated for Christmas, the large Christmas tree in the corner of the living room sparkling with fairy lights and tinsel. Stockings hung over the electric fire place, presents lay unwrapped on the floor…the only thing that was missing was Mrs. McGrath.

"Momnot here?" Alex asked in curiosity. It seemed unlike the two to be gone on such an important day…and for Robbie to not be with them.

"They went to go pick up my grandmother from the airport." Robbie sighed and she nodded, sitting down on the couch next to him. He was slowly untying the ribbon she'd wrapped so carefully around the package as if it might turn to dust at any moment. "She called in last minute and said she was arriving promptly at two o'clock and that she expected an escort to be there for her."

"She would get along well with my grandmother." Alex laughed, smiling at him. He was still in his pajamas…a white t-shirt and flannel pajama bottoms…while she had bothered to change into jeans and a hoodie to walk down the street. "Open it!"

"Okay…I will." Robbie laughed, finally releasing the ribbon and letting it fall from the package. He began to slowly open the wrapping paper and Alex almost grabbed the package and did it for him.

"Robbie…" She hissed through clenched teeth as she saw the pure impish glaze in his eyes. He grinned and ripped the candy cane wrapping paper up, letting it fall to the ground as well as he held the gift.

"It's a…scrap book." Robbie said, his face falling a bit and Alex scooted closer to him on the couch, taking one of his hands off it and flipping the cover. As soon as she had, sparkles, stickers of #1 hands and footballs, and a large picture erupted in their eyes. The picture was of the two of them. They were standing in the hallway of Roscoe High, arms linked around each other and their grins wide and brimming. Underneath the picture, Alex had put a caption underneath it. **_On the day of the pep rally._** "So that explains the face paint."

"Yeah." She laughed, taking a risk and setting her hand on his arm as he flipped the page. "It's a memory scrapbook. I made it in my aunt's art studio."

"Did she teach you how to do this?" Robbie asked in awe as the next page revealed he, Lily, Travis and Ray sitting on the big red couch at Mickey's. **_Best friends for life._**

"She doesn't know I used her stuff, but I carefully replaced and layered to make it look like I didn't." Alex confessed. His snigger made her want to slug him…but she loved him for it. "I love that picture."

"It's missing you." He commented and she felt herself blush. _Think of River, Alex. Think of River. _"I love this picture." She turned her eyes to the flipped page and laughed, thinking of several occasions this had happened. Ray was holding his arm in the hallway at school as she was reeling back from a punch, Robbie standing in the back round laughing. **_He deserved it._** stood at the bottom of the page.

"Me too." Alex smiled. They continued flipping through the memories…including Robbie and Alex dancing at the RFR Warehouse Party at Mickey's (**_A night to remember_**), the gang building a snowman outside of the Strong's house(**_Frosty revisited_**), and one of their many pizza-and-a-movie nights (**_Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure…with pepperoni_**). As the last picture showed Ray and Alex, in an embrace at the hospital (**_You're never that safe in a hospital_**), Alex stopped him from turning the page.

"What?" He asked and she shrugged meekly at him.

"I want you to turn this when I'm gone." She sighed and Robbie nodded, setting the book down.

"I guess you're planning to run off again then?" He said and Alex grinned, pulling her mitts back on.

'Gran wants me home. And your mom and Grandma should be here soon." Robbie followed her to the door, waited for her to get her boots on, and stopped her from walking out the door. "Well, I'd better get going…have a good Christmas and I'll maybe see you tomor-"

He'd pulled her closer again and this time, neither wanted to let go as he leaned in and kissed her again. She was frozen in shock and melting in bliss, but after a while, the thought of River poked at the back of her mind. _What about River?_

_River probably forgot about you…you shouldn't be surprised when he comes back and has Shelly Adams around his neck in an instant…_

_Nonsense. Shelly is dating Bill from Science class…_

_Okay, stop thinking or you're really going to ruin the moment. You're getting what you wanted, aren't you?_

Robbie pulled back from her, gasping for breath as he did.

"I'm sorry." He gasped and she shook her head, reaching up and kissing him again. A part of her was relaxed, glad it was her instead of Kim…and then the other part was screaming **_WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?_**

She was kissing her best friend…and he was kissing her back.

The lock on the door clicked and they pulled away from each other just in time to not be seen by the oblivious Mrs. McGrath…and Granny McGrath.

"Oh! Alex, dear. Merry Christmas!" Mrs. McGrath said cheerfully and Alex blushed, Robbie's scarlet tone almost matching her own.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Mrs. McGrath." She said politely, lightly hugging Robbie's mom and stopping at his Grandmother. "Merry Christmas Granny McGrath."

"Thank you dearie." The old woman cooed, grinning toothlessly at her. Out of everything Robbie had told her about Granny McGrath, she'd never expected to see the kindly little woman his grandmother looked to be. She was wearing a knit shawl, an old and dull gray rose dress with lace trimming, and her large glasses made her little buggy eyes stand out immensely against her dark skin. A large knitting bag hung on one arm while Mrs. McGrath held the rest of her luggage with difficulty. "And you can call me Roberta the next time we meet." _Roberta…Robbie was named after his grandmother?_ She held in her laugh while nodding.

"Merry Christmas, Roberta." Alex said obediently. After greeting and having polite small talk with the McGraths, she finally made her way to the door.

"Oh no, Alex. Why don't you stay for a bit? Have some hot apple cider with us?" Mrs. McGrath said and she just smiled apologetically.

"I'm quite sorry, Mrs. McGrath, but I've got my family to get back to at home. Thank you for having me though." She was being the perfect lady…something she'd been taught to do back in London. "It was nice to meet you Roberta. I'll hopefully see you all later."

Alex turned to look at Robbie and locked eyes with him. His stare had been burning holes into her skull for the longest time as she visited with his family, but she still wanted to get him alone.

"I'll walk you to the door." Robbie offered and she took it, nodding politely. Somewhere in between their talking, the McGraths had stealthily brought Alex back into the living room. And now, they were by the door again, carefully hidden by the separator where all the coats hung and the boots lay. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Definitely." Alex said, smiling before kissing his cheek quickly. "Bye Robbie."

"Bye Alex."

……

Robbie flipped back the last page and swore that his heart stopped beating. He'd excused himself from lunch by pretending to still be tired, and now he was up in his room, staring at the last page with a blush creeping to his cheeks.

_**I missed you tons.**_

The caption Alex had put suited the picture perfectly. It was of him and her at the airport, locked in an embrace, his face turned to her cheek as he kissed it. She was beaming, her long blonde hair coming over her shoulder in a fountain of gold, complementing her green eyes wonderfully. He was greeting her after she'd arrived home from a visit to London. Alex had been gonefor three weeksand he'd been lonely and miserable the whole time. Even meeting with Kim secretly in the storage room at Mickey's hadn't made him feel better. When she'd hugged him…he was finally smiling.

"Oh Alex." He sighed, touching his lips softly. They were still slightly warm and he'd known that he'd taken a big step when he'd kissed her. But she'd kissed him back…

_The emails…_

He felt horrible about keeping that secret from her. But if he'd let her read those emails…he would've blown over with jealousy and probably would've stopped talking to her. It was _better_ this way. At least…he hoped it was.

"I'm falling for my best friend. And I hate it." Robbie said out loud to no one in particular. He needed to tell her…he needed to get this heart aches out in the open. He needed to tell her he wasn't in love with Kim anymore…he needed to tell her it was her.

Automatically, he picked up the phone. She'd be home by now…he dialed her separate phone line…it rang and rang and rang and he eventually got her voice mail. Desperate, Robbie tried her home line next…it rang and rang and then-

"Hello?"


	20. I Can't Explain

Chapter 20: I Can't Explain 

a/n: I want to send a shout out to **that drama queen** for helping me with the ideas for this chapter. Thanks hun! And now, on with the chapter!

……

It felt like someone was clubbing him in the head with hammer when he opened his eyes groggily the next morning. _What happened?_ That question swam around in his head as he tried to get up but realized he couldn't…because Kim was sleeping on top of him. And that's when he remembered.

They'd gotten drunk…hammered. He and Kim Carlisle had cracked the lock to the liquor cabinet in his parents' suite…and they'd drank like there was no tomorrow. Hurriedly, River tried to remember what he'd said…what drunken secrets had gotten out. Alex…he…Robbie…Kim…the secret that had been holding all of them together had gotten out.

For a second he felt sick, and he wondered if it was because of what he'd said…but moments later, he'd pushed Kim off of him and was scrambling for the bathroom.

……

River flushed the toilet again, wiping his mouth on one of the face cloths he'd pulled off of the rack beside the sink. He'd thought his stomach would be stronger than this…

_It's because you told the secrets, River. _He shook his head, trying to get the image of Alex's disappointed face out of his head. How could he have done this to her? How could he have done this to the girl he loved?

Or did he? He'd told Kim last night that he loved her…the girl he was drinking booze with…not the girl that was waiting back in Roscoe for him. River closed his eyes, frowning. What was the point though? The girl back in Roscoe was probably already hooked up with Robbie McGrath…the boy who had sealed the deal between them in the first place.

"I thought you were supposed to have a stronger stomach than me?" Kim's voice asked from the doorway and he turned to face her, smirking. She was smiling at him nervously and he patted the floor beside him. "Don't worry…I was up for about an hour doing that."

"Well…we did drink a lot." Kim crawled on the floor beside him, sitting up against his shoulder as he leaned against the wall. She smelt like roses and it made him smile. _Alex smells like honey and lilies…_Blinking to get the thoughts of Alex out of his head, his leaned his head against hers. "So, what now?"

"Was everything you said last night…true?" Her voice was soft and she'd held a beat before talking. He could hear the question in her voice and River set his arm around her, rubbing her shoulder. He wanted their last day on the cruise to be special.

"Yes…it was as true as truth can get. Just don't tell Alex-"

"That I know about her and Robbie. Don't be silly…I won't." Her hand slid up his chest and his stomach erupted in butterflies. "Me and Robbie are pretty much over though…what about you and Strong?"

He wanted to say they were over…but they weren't. And he didn't want to lie…but he didn't want to disappoint either. Reaching up, he took her hand in his and kissed it, holding it against his heart.

"Yeah…we're pretty much over as well." _It's true River…if she wanted to keep this thing going, she would've emailed you at least once. _A silence over came the couple and Kim let out a sigh, looking up at River with glassy eyes.

"Good." Reaching up, she kissed him lightly, pulling back and setting her head on his shoulder again. "What are we going to do about the alcohol?"

"I'll get it…don't worry."

……

"Between the two of you, do you know _how _much alcohol you drank?" Kim winced, frowning, as both she and River remained silent. So her parents and his parents had come in from that night, and being the not thinking people they were, had found the bottles Kim and River had both failed to hide.

"I can't believe the two of you!" Mrs. Pierce cried, setting a hand on her forehead. They were sitting on one of the beds in the suite, their hands folded in their laps as their parents had it out with them. "You could've just come to the party…"

"Not like you let us." River mumbled and Kim stifled a giggle as his mother zoomed in, leering in front of his face.

"What was that River?" His cheeks lit up and from the corner of her eye, Kim could've sworn he was smirking at his mother. _He's a daredevil!_

"Nothing mum." She seemed suspicious, but satisfied as she stood up again, walking over to Kim's mother and shaking her head. "We're not drunks, if that's what you're thinking. We just wanted to have some Christmas fun."

"And you had to do it this way?" She winced again as her father exploded, coming up in front of them. "I'm very surprised with the both of you. I would've thought you would've been more responsible!" He straightened up and Kim felt tears sting her eyes as she looked up at her daddy.

"Daddy-"

"You'll both have to pay…for all of it." She felt her stomach twist and she whimpered, trying to straighten up.

"But Daddy-"

"It's called consequences, Kimberly Ann! So say goodbye to your allowance for the next six months!" She bowed her head at the blow, feeling her pride come down a notch. It was bad enough at home…but in front of River and his parents? Why did she have to be tortured like this?

"I'll pay for it, Mr. Carlile." River's voice surprised her and she looked up at him.

"No River, you don't ha-"

"I'll pay for all of it. It was my idea in the first place…I forced Kim into it with me…a couple drinks was what I told her. But…it turned out to be more."

He doesn't have to lie like this…it was both of our ideas…River… 

She felt herself smile as he turned to her, his blue eyes twinkling with a sincere light. _I love you boy._

"Fine then…but Kim…we'll have to…I'm just so…disappointed in you." And in an angry huff, all the parents left the room, leaving their children to ponder about what they'd done.

"River. You didn't have to do that." She said quietly, and he reached over to take her hand in his, smiling.

"It's okay. I have a job…you don't. You can pay me back later." His smirk suggested something else and she slapped his arm jokingly, giggling lightly. "What?"

"I love you boy."

_It was Halloween, and her eight-year-old mind had seen too many goblins, ghosts, witches and aliens for her favor. Her parents had driven her and River back to her house and the first place she'd gone was to her tree fort, where she could hide half of her large sack of candy and leave it for the rest of the year. Unfortunately, River had followed her. _

"_What are you doing?" He asked as she began to climb up the ladder with difficulty, the large pillowcase of candy slung over her back as she tried not to step on her princess dress. He was dressed up as a black knight, and they'd run around all night pretending to be Wesley and Buttercup from The Princess Bride on an adventure. But now, she didn't want him to see where she kept her candy. _

"_Go away River." She sighed, using all her might to throw her candy bag up into the tree fort. And even though she'd asked him nicely, she still heard his footsteps climb up the ladder. "River!"_

"_I don't wanna stay with the grown ups!" He whined and Kim pushed herself up into the fort, crawling across the floor and finding her bag. Gathering the candy that had fallen out, she picked up a package of rockets and threw it at River, who was coming up the trap door. "Ouch!"_

"_This is my fort. You can't come up here." She ordered, pointing at the ground. "Out."_

"_Kimmy..."_

"_Out!" His eyes narrowed and he frowned, wobbling as he tried to steady himself. _

"_Do you want me to go tell my mommy? Or to fall and say you pushed me?" _

_Kim growled in defeat and let out a huff, crossing her arms as he grinned and made the rest of his way up. _

"_Fine. But you better not try to steal any of my candy."_

"_I won't. I have waaayyy more than you do anyway." He dropped his sack in front of her feet and sat down on the dusty floor, moving his toy sword out of the way. "What are you doing?"_

_She paused and looked at him, halfway through the process of emptying half her sack into one of the hollowed out floorboards her daddy had built in for her 'secret things'. _

"_It's my hiding spot. I put half of my candy in here every year, so I can have more candy until the next Halloween." Kim frowned as he peered down into the compartment, clutching the candy in her hands tightly. "You won't try to steal any will you?"_

"_No." River said blandly, opening his sack and sticking his hand in. "I told you. I have more candy than you do…why would I want any of yours?"_

"_Because you're a boy." She said, shaking her head as he took out a handful of candy and started to put it in her compartment. "What are you doing River?"_

"_I'm putting some candy in here too."_

"_Why?" He paused to smile at her as he let it fall in, taking her hand when he'd finished. _

"_Because that way, you'll have just as much candy as me all year long, and you won't be sad when you run out and I still have some." Kim felt her cheeks go red and she inched forward to him, kissing his cheek and hugging him. _

"_I love you boy."_

"I love you too girl."

"_I love you too girl."_


	21. You're Beautiful

Chapter 21: You're Beautiful

(A/N: So I was hoping this will be done by the New Year…but as you can see, it's not. I'll try my best to update ASAP. So, here's the next chapter! PairingRily)

"And yet another Christmas party with the Randals and the Brennans is a total…dud."

Ray smiled as Lily sat down next to him on his bed, handing him a bowl full of party mix. So far, the first three hours of their annual family Christmas party were worst than the last. Ray's dad had brought out the red wine within the first five minutes of dinner.

"How do you think you're going to get home?" Ray laughed as he popped a handful of pretzels, salted Cheerios, and chopped walnuts into his mouth. "I mean, your parents can't drive…and my parents can't drive…and I think Tim stayed downstairs for a reason."

"My best friend is going to walk me home after we call a taxi for my parents." His brown eyes twinkled as Lily's blue eyes smiled back at him, her hand digging into the bowl as well.

"Well, I don't know what you're going to do. Parker isn't here." Lily quickly slapped his arm and he mocked a terrible pain, falling down onto his back moaning. "Oww! Lily!"

"Stop your whining. And you're walking me home whether you like it or not." She snapped, lying down beside him. The party mix she'd brought up was still in the bowl…but half of it was lying all over his shirt, the gross plastic smell of the bowl making Ray cough. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. The bowl's just trying to kill me. That's all."

She let out a small laugh and he smiled, turning to watch her. She was propped up on her elbows, her long golden blonde hair falling down her back in curls. He loved it when she curled her hair…it made her look like an angel.

"I like your hair like that Lils. It makes you look…so feminine." Her surprised blue eyes turned to him and narrowed, her eyebrows raising as she surveyed him.

"More so than I usually look?" Lily asked coldly and he just grinned, nodding.

"Yes." As he realized what he'd just confirmed, his eyes went wide and he sat up, sending the rest of the party mix onto his jeans. "I mean, no! I mean, well, yes, it does, but you always look feminine! Never not look feminine with you…I mean…well you…you look beautiful. You always do."

Her cheeks went pink and so did his face, his eyes staring around his room for something to stare at. Something _other_ than her…

"Walk me home now? It's getting late…and Parker said she'd phone me…and if it's not too late, we can watch a movie or something…" She said, her voice stuttering in a flustered fashion.

"Okay." Ray nodded, smiling nervously as they both stood up. Why couldn't he just tell her? Everyone made it sound so easy…but when the most beautiful girl you'd ever seen before is standing in front of you and you're trying to form the words to tell her you love her…it wasn't exactly a piece of cake to pull off. "To the front door!"

"To the front door."

…….

"So…here we are."

Lily laughed as she nudged Ray's shoulder, her blue eyes traveling up to her house. They'd reminisced the whole walk home, with the exception of her slipping and falling on a patch of particularly thick ice. And he'd helped her up…just like he always had.

"Yep." She nodded, shoving her hands in her pockets as she turned to him. Snow was lightly falling around them and getting caught in his jet black hair, making him look like someone had just dusted icing sugar over top of him. "It wasn't _that_ bad was it?"

"Of course not. I actually enjoyed sneaking out of the house." Ray laughed, mimicking her as his hands found their way into his coat pockets. It was a nice night out (minus the snow) and the breeze wasn't too bad…it would've been the perfect night for skating in Roscoe Park.

"Do you want to…sit down?" Lily said, pointing to the stairs. It sounded corny, but she'd needed an excuse to get him to stay. Tonight was the night she would tell him…tell him how she felt about him. Since High School had started…since she'd turned into a girly girl and had actually started to look at boys, she'd had a crush on her best friend. Ray Brennan…and even though they'd both had their different relationships (she would never forget the time Ray had come after her first flunked date with some basketball jock), she knew that they would possibly, hopefully end up together.

"Sure!" He nodded, walking over to the stairs and sitting down on the snowy surface. "Lil? Are you coming?" She realized suddenly with cherry pink cheeks she'd been staring…again.

"Yeah…I'm coming." Lily mentally kicked herself as she sat down, knowing she was getting nervous and shaking. What if he didn't feel the same way? What if he was just leading her on? Maybe tonight shouldn't be the night…maybe she'd wait for him to do something…

But she would regret it if she didn't at least say something tonight. Smiling, she thought about what Alex would do if she was in this position. She'd probably joke around with him, wait for the right moment, and notice the mistletoe hanging above the doorway. Even if it weren't there, Alex would kiss whoever was there as an excuse, letting them know then how she felt.

"It's nice out tonight." Ray smiled, breaking her thoughts. But Lily wasn't like Alex…Lily stuttered and got scared and felt like she was on a stage with everyone watching and listening to her tell that person how she felt. She needed to act…Ray was a good looking guy who could be easily swept off his feet by any girl that was funny and went with his style. And it didn't matter how much Lily felt she was the only perfect girl for Ray…he could be taken from right under her feet.

"Yeah…it's really nice." He seemed flustered too and he smiled at her, looking down at the ground before speaking.

"Lily,"

"Yes?" Lily knew that from the moment she'd jumped at saying yes, she sounded eager. But eager was better than nothing…wasn't it? Ray let out a sigh, seeming frustrated as he looked at her.

"Is something bothering you? I…I mean you seem kind of…you seem to be thinking a lot or… something."

She let out a giggle and he seemed to be hurt for a second…Ray trying to be serious was always funny…but he didn't seem to get that. _He opened the door for you, Lily…opened the door for you._

Looking upward at the doorway, she prayed that Alex or Parker had stuck mistletoe there when they'd been decorating a few weeks ago. And it was as if it was a dream…the green and red stuck out from her white front porch like a sore thumb. And she'd thought Alex had been kidding when she said she was going to put it up…

"_Where should I put the mistletoe, Randi?" _

_Lily looked over at Parker who was holding the small plant, laughing brightly. She wasn't going to actually put it up? Was she? _

"_Well…it's usually put on the doorway but-" Before Lily could say another word, Alex had snatched the decoration from Parker's hands, running up the stairs carefully and using a thumbtack to stick it on. "Guys, do you honestly think I'm going to need mistletoe hanging on top of my porch doorway?"_

_The two girls looked at her pointedly and she laughed, shaking her head. _

"_Of course Randi! I mean…what if Ray haps upon walking you home one day?" Lily's mouth fell open at Parker's words and Alex let out a loud laugh, her green eyes sparkling at Lily. Bending down, Lily filled her mitten hands with two balls of snow and threw them at her two best friends at the same time, her cheeks bright red. _

"_Don't ever say that again! At least not where people can actually hear…"_

"Lily?" She blinked looking back down at him, smiling lightly. The stage was set…now all she needed to do was walk out and perform.

"Yes, actually. There is something bothering me…there's mistletoe right above us and you haven't kissed me yet."

Leaning in, she didn't stop herself as her warm lips met his, her insides screaming for joy as she finally accomplished what she'd been meaning to do for the longest time. When she pulled back, all Ray could do was smile at her in awe, taking her hand and pulling her up.

"Let's talk about this inside."


	22. Your Ex Lover is Dead

Chapter 22: Your Ex-Lover is Dead

(a/n: So I haven't updated since the dawn of time…and Anne and I actually wanted to finish this story by New Year's! Hahaha…apparently not. So I'm afraid you're going to have to backtrack a few months…and if you don't want to…well, I suggest you stop reading or read over the last twenty-one chapters.  Anne helped me write most of this chapter, so have of the props/reviews go to her!)

Disclaimer: I do not own RFR, or any of the song titles I use. I also do not own Alex Strong, who is the lovely creation of my dearest friend, Miss Anne Ramos. 

……

Parker's finger nearly slipped as she pressed the doorbell. The Strong residence had a sort of soft chime...something that could easily catch someone's attention. She just hoped it would catch the right person's attention. Earlier this morning, Parker had resolved that as a New Year's Resolution, she would tell someone her biggest secret. And that person was Travis Strong...whether or not he agree

Travis was in the living room, reading the copy of _'Inspirational Quotes from Religious and World Leaders'_ that Parker had given him for Christmas while wondering what Alex was up to. All he knew was that she would be at Mickey's for a while. All of a sudden, the doorbell interrupted his thoughts. He marched up to the door and greeted his visitor. "Hey!" He exclaimed with a bright smile when he found Parker there.

Her stomach twisted and turned when he opened the door, but in typical Nanny Haynes fashion, she acted like nothing was wrong. "Hey Travis!" _Need reason to come in...need a reason to come in.. _"Is Alex home?"

"Uh, no..." Travis replied hesitantly, wondering why Parker was looking for her. "Hey do you wanna come in" He invited her in, not knowing why he did but only knowing that he wanted her company.

If it hadn't been cold out, Parker would've had no reason to have pink cheeks. "Oh...well, sure! Why not? Especially on Boxing Day..."

"I was just reading," Travis explained as he ushered her to the living room, her Christmas gift still in his hand.

"Inspirational Quotes from Religious and World Leaders." She recognized the title as the one from the book she'd given him for Secret Santa. Parker grinned as she slipped off her boots and jacket, following him into the Strong's ordely living room. It looked slightly out of place with the Christmas decorations, but still cozy all the same. "I bet someone really special got you that for Christmas."

"Yeah," Travis replied, blushing, "She's sweet and really cool." He scrambled for a fun type of subject to talk about, trying not to bore Parker. "Have you ever been to Paris"

She felt herself blush at his comment and she smiled when he asked her about Paris. Did she lie and say that she had? Or say no and become boring? Parker decided to create a happy medium. "Only in my dreams."

Travis tilted his head slightly and in a soft voice, confided in Parker, "It was after another lame birthday party my mother had thrown me...Alex had dragged me to the Eiffel Tower, wanting to see it and cheer me up at the same time. We were looking up at the stars and she said 'Trav, I bet somewhere out there, there's someone looking at the same star we're looking at.' She always had the craziest idea that soulmates would do the exact same thing at the exact same time without ever knowing it." Travis had no idea why he decided to share that, and was starting to mentally kick himself for his mindless rambling.

Parker felt her smile grow wider as he talked about Paris. It sounded so romantic...if she could pick one place in the world to go, it would probably be Paris. Or Disney World. "Well, Alex does have a knack to be the romantic one at times." The brunette glanced around the picture filled living room, smiling to herself before sitting down on the couch. "That sounds really nice though...the whole Paris dealio."

"Yeah..." Travis turned to Parker and asked, "What about you, Parks Any big adventures in your life"

"Hmmm," She bit her lip, looking up at him from the couch. He was so mysterious looking...yet in a laid back kind of cool Buddhist way. "Adventures? Well...life is an adventure, as Nanny Haynes said. Of course, she was referring to the time we went on a walk to the park and a squirrel almost attacked her because it wanted her peanuts. But I always like to think of it as a secret message in a sugary sweet chocolate pudding coating."

Travis chuckled. "Nanny Haynes has always been a fountain of wisdom." _Now what_ he thought to himself then he asked, "So yeah, Parker, I know you wanted to see Alex...I'm sorry this trip was a bust."

"Oh..." It was all she could think of to say right now. He was just standing there, both of them not knowing what to say. And in that moment, she wanted to kiss him more than ever. Kiss him, or throw up because she was hyperventilating. Either one. "Well...I mean...I got to see you, so it wasn't a complete...bust."

"How about a snack?" Travis suggested, "We could grab something in the kitchen."

_A snack? This guy really knows how to break the ice...nothing like food…_ "Sure!" Parker smiled, moving to get up from the couch. But, being the clutz she was, she somehow ended up on the floor rather than on her feet. _This is not happening... _"Oww!"

"Thanks," She laughed, clearly embarrassed in all her actions. But as she made to get up one of her feet, which seemed to be more like banana peels than anything today, kicked the crown of his foot. Hard. Seconds later, they were both on the floor and Parker's skin tone had increased to cherry red. "Oh...my...Travis, I'm so sorry."

As he felt his feet give in and crashed to the floor, Travis blushed. He was at a loss for words, all tangled up with Parker, not knowing what to say. Finally, he regained his composure and said softly, "It's okay..." He tried to get up but realized that Parker was currently preventing him from doing so. "Hey, Parks, mind letting me get up You're sitting on my foot."

"Oh," Parker's face increased in its blush and she began to move off of his foot. _If Alex knew this was happening..._ When her head collided with something else warm, but hard all the while, she looked up to find Travis holding his head in a similar fashion. "Shit...Travis, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I promise." And even when she apologized, there was a silent rejoicing going on inside of Parker. This was the closest she'd ever been to Travis.

Travis looked into Parker's eyes for a moment, trying to dechiper her current state of mind. She seemed distraught, nervous and generally freaked out. "It's okay, Parker, really." He pulled away and sat crossed legged next to her without leaving much space between them (he secretly enjoyed the physical contact) and added, "See No harm done."

"Yeah...no harm done," She mumbled, looking down at the floor. _Only harm done to my heart. _Pulling her legs towards her in a simliar fashion as he was sitting, she sighed lightly. Was he even happy that she was there? "I might as well just go...I don't want to end up setting the house on fire or anything with my luck."

"Wait! What about the snack" Travis blurted out, instinctly grabbing her hand to try and prevent her from leaving, "What about the ice cream"

"Maybe on another day, Trav," Parker said, grinning. She was trying not to blush with his hand holding hers, but so far it wasn't working. "I honestly don't think I should..."

Travis scrambled to find something to keep her around. "Listen, a little birdie told me your favorite ice cream was mint chocolate chip. We have some in the freezer if you'd like."

The phone rang and Travis cursed under his breath. "Just go in there, help yourself to some, and I'll get that."

He was trying to distract her from the prospect of leaving. At least...that's what he was leading Parker on to. _I swear I'll never get over him if this turns out to all be a joke._ "If you insist," She grinned, beginning to get up from the floor. Perhaps her luck would change after all?

Travis watched as she went into the kitchen then grabbed the cordless phone on the couch.

……

"Hello?"

He froze, almost dropping the phone that was pressed up against his ear eagerly. It wasn't Alex...it was Travis. Robbie felt his throat dry up. Why was he making such a huge deal about this? He could just casually say he was calling for Alex like he usually did. He could say that and hopefully get past Travis's built-in lie detector. Hopefully.

Chuckling at Parker's ice cream sundae creating antics in the kitchen, Travis replied with a chuckle, "Hey, Robbie! What's up?"

"How...how'd you know it was me?" He hadn't meant for his voice to sound so stuttering and nervous, but he couldn't stop it when he'd started. Of course he'd realized half way through asking that stupid question that the Strong's had caller ID. That hadn't helped it along at all. Biting his lip as he heard Travis sigh in confusion on the other line, he waited for what he knew was coming. _Robbie, you idiot!_

Travis called out to Parker, "Ewwwww! Chocolate, caramel AND cherry sauce?" then said to Robbie on the phone, "Hey, what's going on?" He sounded a bit concerned; Robbie seemed a little out of it and he wondered why.

Parker was there with him. He knew his friend had feelings for the brunette and Robbie took the distraction that was hanging in the open. He could easily ask if Alex was there if Parker was the subject. Clearing his throat, he pushed himself to try and be a bit calmer. "Oh, nothing really. Is Parker there?" When he'd finished speaking, he realized what that must sound like. "Not that I wanted to talk to her, I was just, you know, wondering because...I could've sworn I'd heard her laugh in the back round...Not that I know what her laugh sounds like but..." _So much for calm, cool and collected. _Robbie let out a sigh, deciding to try and get right to the point. "Is Alex there?"

"Yes Parker is here, trying to make me quote-unquote ultimate ice cream sundae for us…But Alex has been out all day. Mickey's, tennis team thing…I think…" Travis stated, unsure of what it was that his cousin had told him earlier when she checked in. "Yeah, her cell's on…try there."

"I tried her cell phone Travis! That's usually where I call first!" Robbie snapped, suddenly becoming nervous and aggitated. He needed to talk to her...he was longing to hear her voice...her sweet voice. But that was never going to happen if she was at Mickey's... "Oh no."

"Robbie? What's going on?" Travis asked, concern creeping into his voice. "Is Alex in trouble?" He motioned for Parker to be quiet, who quickly complied.

"No, she's not in trouble. It's just me...I've got to go." Today was Boxing Day. He remembered one of the emails he'd deleted saying River would be back on Boxing Day just in time for the annual tennis team gathering at Mickey's. He had to go. "Have fun with the sundaes Trav."

"Bye, Robbie." Travis hung up, slightly confused, then went back to the kitchen to join Parker. He hoped there was nothing going on because he knew Alex was a hot spot for trouble, especially with guys.

Pressing the talk button on his phone as Travis hung up, Robbie let out a deep sigh. "Please don't kill me when she comes home."

……

"Bye, Robbie." Travis hung up, slightly confused, then went back to the kitchen to join Parker. He hoped there was nothing going on because he knew Alex was a hot spot for trouble, especially with guys. Travis walked back to the kitchen, slightly confused, then smiled at Parker, was having the mint chocolate chip ice cream. "Enjoying yourself?" he asked playfully.

She paused in squirting carmel sauce onto her bowl of icecream, a grin spreading onto her face. She'd been here enough for sundaes that she knew where everything was kept to its exact position, and she'd already experimented with different types of sauce on her most favorite icecream. Carmel had come on top as her best choice. "Yes, actually, I am,"

"Good, good." Travis grinned widely, then rubbed his thumb on her chin. "Hmmm so caramel, huh Nice!"

_Travis, if you only knew how insane you're making me inside right now... _"It really does taste the best on the icecream," She said, her voice light and daydreamy. _Snap out of it, Haynes! _A second later she'd looked back down at the icecream, breaking the gaze they'd had on each other. "You should definitely try it sometime."

Travis licked the caramel off the thumb he had placed on Parker's face then smiled. "Delicious!" he exclaimed flirtatiously. He then had a taste of Parker's ice cream and added, "You're right."

"Aren't I always?" She giggled, pushing a sundae bowl towards him. She wanted to bring up the subject of New Year's Eve...rumor had it that Mickey was having a bash at his place, and if it were true, she wanted to be the one that showed up with Travis Strong as a date. "So, have you talked to Mickey lately?"

Travis shook his head no then went for a drink in the fridge.

"Why?"

"Uhm," Parker mumbled, trying to think of something to begin with. iThe rumor, stupid/i "Well, rumor has it that he's throwing a New Year's Eve bash this year. And I was just wondering...if you were thinking of going?"

"It depends. Alex'll have her friends, and Lily will probably want to go with Ray and I don't wanna go if everyone's paired off or gone in different directions."

Travis shrugged and then offered, "Want something to drink"

"Oh, no thanks," _This is your chance, damn it! Ask him if he wants to go with you!_ "I know what you mean about Mickey's though," Parker took a moment to pause, to look for any reaction out of the boy. "I really don't want to go either if that's what will end up happening. I mean, I would have absolutely no one to go with."

"It's true...so how about this: how about a cozy dinner over here while everyone's gone I'll cook for you." Travis suggested with a grin, "Then we could swing by and hang out at the party for a bit. We wouldn't have to stay the whole night and I've always wanted to cook for someone."

Parker tried her best to not let her blush show through as she twirled the caramel around on her spoon. But she couldn't help it. "Well...if you don't mind...and only if you want to...sure."

Travis grinned widely. "Excellent! I'll just make sure Alex stays out of the way." He let out a playful chuckle then asked, "So Parker, what do you enjoy eating"

_Why would he want Alex out of the way?_ "I enjoy eating pretty much anything...other than Nanny Haynes prune pudding pie."

"What if I could produce some other kind of pie" Travis asked, still smiling.

"Then I'd be a very happy girl," She laughed, turning from her ice cream to look at him. He was closer to her than he'd ever been before and Parker quickly looked away from his stormy blue eyes. "Of course...I'm just a relatively happy girl all the time..."

"That...would...be...good..." Travis stated, leaning in after every word, until their noses touched. He then kissed her nose gently and playfully, then stood straight up again. "I like it when my favorite girl's happy."

Although her cheeks had turned considerably red, her nose wasn't exactly where she'd wanted him to kiss her. He was teasing her to pieces, whether or not he knew he was doing it, and she wanted to be rid of the horrible sensation inside of her stomach. "Travis, wait," She sighed, not waiting for him to respond before she grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him.

Travis kissed back, thinking, "She played right into my hand."

……

It was the first time all break long that she felt like herself again after her stay in the hospital and Alex was looking forward to catching up with the tennis team. She figured it would be a great time to reconnect with River since she hadn't gotten any emails. No news is good news, right? She walked into Mickey's to find all usual suspects from the team.

"Hey hey hey! Guess who's back in action?" she greeted everyone.

River had been in the middle of a sweet but short kiss with Kim when _her_ voice broke through the usual busy sounds of Mickey's. It was a delayed Christmas party, but nothing about this gathering seemed to be going right. Last he'd heard from Nick, Alex hadn't been coming. His blue eyes travelled over to her and he felt himself sigh. She looked just as good as she had when he'd left her.

Between all the greetings, the _"nice to have you back, girl"s_, the _"glad you're feeling better"s_ and the mixed voices around her, Alex scanned the room for one person…and found him with Kim Carlisle on his lap. "Uh, hey, I thought this was a team thing…" she stated to the rest of the team, keeping her eye on River as they made eye contact.

"It is, but you were allowed to bring a date...were you sick?" He had been rather distracted by the greetings she'd gotten and the tones everyone had taken on. Why hadn't she told him? A gentle nudge brought his eyes away from Alex and to Kim...his current girlfriend who was situated on his lap. "Huh?"

Before Kim could say a word, Alex spoke edgily, "A date, huh? Since when was Kim someone you'd date? I don't recall her ever being on the radar. You once referred to her as an uptight priss." She tried to keep a cool and even tone but the irritation in her voice kept rising.

River's jaw clenched as Kim's jaw dropped in the corner of his eye. Obviously, Alex had not gotten the memo. Shifting Kim off of his lap, he rose from the couch and made his way over to the blonde, grabbing her elbow and starting to pull her over to the janitor's close. The only place they could be privately with out being freezing cold. "Alex, come on!" He muttered through clenched teeth when she tried to resist.

"Let me go!" Alex hissed as she squirmed to escape his grip. When she finally slipped away in a quiet corner near one of the listening booths, she let her fury loose. "You've got some explaining to do, Pierce! You promised to email me and you never did!"

A sudden unexplainable fury filled him and he glared at her. They were out of sight from Kim, but they weren't exactly out of hearing distance. And that's what he'd wanted. "I never emailed you? What the hell are you playing at Strong?" Anger got the better of him and he pushed Alex up against the side of the listening booth roughly. "I emailed you every day for the first week and a half I was on that cruise. You're the one who didn't reply."

Alex pushed him back with an unexpected force. "You're full of it, River! I waited for them! They never came! I bet you were too busy getting seduced by that curly-haired hussy!" she yelled back.

"She is not a curly-haired hussy, Strong!" River hissed, trying to quiet her down. He didn't want both of them to be thrown out of Mickey's due to uncontrollable fighting. "She's the only one that was kind to me through all of this. She had to pull me away from the Internet Cafe every day when I wasting away waitng for a damn reply! I sent them to the same address I've always sent emails to. The same address I sent a Christmas card to in advance."

He took out a deep sigh, still glaring at her. Even though he felt bitter, there was still that warm feeling when she looked at him...that tingle when she touched him. "You're the one that's full of it. Too proud to even break it off with me over an email."

"I would have gotten them if you had written them, River," Alex explained, cooling down yet keeping an edge to her voice, "I even had Robbie check for me while I was in the hospital."

And at the mention of McGrath's name, a lightbulb when off in his head. "You had McGrath check them for you? You mean the same guy who broke it off with Kim because he had 'over things to think about' ? The same guy who fought with me over who would bring you home when you got sick? The same guy who seems to have gone gaga for you? You had him check for any emails your boyfriend would've sent you, Alex?"

"You were never my boyfriend. You were a self-serving jerk who blackmailed me into dating you." Alex eyed River, waiting for a reaction. She added, "Robbie's my friend. He was one of the first people I befriended in Roscoe. You don't know a thing about our relationship."

He took a step back, preparing to give her the reaction he knew she was waiting for. "You're right. I guess we both don't know what's going on with you and McGrath." Stepping forward he took in her scent as he leaned close to whisper the closing point to her. "But just think why I was threatening you in the first place. You don't have to worry anymore though. The threat's over...I'll leave you alone now." River stepped back slyly, glaring her right in the eye. "You can run off to your little boyfriend and ask him about the emails. I'm sure he'll have something interesting to say." He didn't get a chance to hear what she would say. He didn't care to listen to her. He just turned and walked carelessly back over to the couch, leaving his past behind him.

……

Alex felt like crying. River's comment hurt her more than she had anticipated. Did he blackmail her into a date because he was interested in her or was he just playing with her emotions? She was confused. She had no idea what to do. She couldn't stay at Mickey's though. She had to find Robbie and confront him. After telling the gang she couldn't stay, she rushed off out of Mickey's.

"Alex!"

Alex turned around to face the source of the voice right outside Mickey's. She frowned at Robbie as they made eye contact without saying a word.

He'd been running around the streets of Roscoe for fifteen minutes before he realized where Alex had to be. _Mickey's!_ River would not have made it anywhere else. And now as he neared her, he wanted to turn and run the other way. She was looking at him with that look...

"Hey."

"Tell me he's lying, Robbie," Alex said in an oddly even tone of voice, "Tell me you wouldn't do that to me."

He looked at her in confusion. He wasn't following. "I'm...sorry?"

"Tell me he's lying to me. Tell me you wouldn't betray me like that." Alex stared into Robbie's eyes intensely as she added, "Tell me you didn't lie to me about my e-mail."

"I...I..." Robbie felt his stomach jolt with nervousness as he spoke. This wasn't going entirely as he'd planned. "I did, Alex."

"How could you?" Alex's voice was oddly even at this point. "Why?"

"Because," He started, staring at her. The green eyes staring back at him reflected her true feelings. "I was jealous."

"You lied to me." Alex kept her even tone despite her eyes revealing the hurt. "I trusted you, Robbie and you lied to me."

"I only lied to you because I couldn't stand the fact of you being with him instead of me, Alex!" Robbie shouted, feeling a sudden surge of anger. "I didn't want to hurt you...I only wanted...I only wanted you."

The tears were flowing freely from Alex's eyes but she kept a stoic look on her face. "I trusted you, Robbie. I trusted you." She shook her head, then added, "We both messed up here. Where do we go from here"

"I...I don't know." Robbie stuttered, his cheeks stinging as they turned red in the cold weather. Now was as good a time as ever. "Alex...I love you."

Alex's cheeks turned red, not only from the cold but also from Robbie's declaration. It's not what she had imagined. "I have to go, Robbie..." she said quietly, "I'll see you around."

His eyes widened. He had just said those words to a girl for the first time in his life and now she was running off on him? "Alex..." Robbie frowned, trying to keep her there by setting his hand on her shoulder. "Please don't run off on me like this."

Alex spun around and spat out abruptly, "What do you expect me to do, Robbie I messed up by kissing you in the first place but when I finally moved on, you go and mess things up too Two wrongs don't make a right..."

"What if they do in this case!" Robbie yelled, getting more frustrated by the minute. "I made a mistake with Kim, Alex. And I made a mistake by deleting those emails! But I admit that...and I would change it in a second if I could, but right now, this is between you and me." He paused, looking her directly in the eyes. "And only you and me."

"I have to go, Robbie," Alex replied sharply, pulling away from Robbie's grip. "I need some time to think about this." She let a slight hint of vulnerability show in her eyes before hardening her expression and saying sharply, "I have some shopping to do before the mall closes."

"Alex..." He felt tears prick his eyes and Robbie tried to shake them off. He didn't cry. He never cried. "Fine." And that's all he muttered before he turned around and walked away from her. Away from her and all the excitement of telling her his feelings.


	23. Just the Way I'm Feeling

Chapter 23: Just the Way I'm Feeling

a/n: Once again, the lovely Anne helped me write this chapter. I'm really beginning to think this story is closing soon. Only a few more chapters and I swear I'm done. Then Anne plans to write a sequel to this…seeing as I'm sure to leave a few loose ends.

Disclaimer: I don't own RFR or any of its characters, or Alex Strong for that matter. She is Anne's character that was created by her…and no one else! All I own is this story, and the words in it. 

…….

"Alex?" Hesitantly, Travis knocked on his cousin's door again, already embarrassed at why he was standing there in the first place. After agreeing to make Parker dinner, he realized that he had no idea what exactly to make her. "Alex? Are you there?"

Alex shut her laptop amidst a flurry of IMs from people insisting she explain her absence from Mickey's New Year's Eve Extravagenza. "Yeah!" she called out, "Come in!"

When Alex had announced rather nonchalantly to him that she wasn't going to Mickey's for New Year's Eve, he'd been surprised. Surprised, and slightly annoyed. How was he supposed to attempt a romantic evening if his cousin was sitting upstairs moping in her room? "Hey," Travis stuttered as he entered the room, recipe book in hand. It held all sorts of recipes from where he'd been in the world and the different nannies he'd had. Then again, he'd never been the one making things.

"Uhhhhhh, what's up" Alex greeted Travis casually, as she stretched out on her bed and gave her younger cousin a casual glancing.

"Uhm..nothing really...I was just looking to cook me and a friend dinner tonight," He shrugged, trying to not blush. It didn't work so well, but he immediately backed it up with a question for the blonde that was his cousin. "Why aren't you at Mickey's again?"

"Because I thought I'd take it easy...it hasn't even been a week since I got out of the hospital and my lungs are still recovering." Alex gave Travis a stern look, challenging him to pry some more.

"Alex..." Travis sighed, glaring back at her with a stern expression. "We both know that isn't true...and I refuse to let you not go until you give me an expectable reason." Hopefully, if things worked out his way, he would have her out of the house and gone all night.

Alex sighed. "Well, you know how River Pierce is, right He's bringing his new girlfriend to that party and I just don't wanna deal with his superiority complex." She then turned the tables on Travis and asked, "What's with the recipe book"

He'd been about to reply to his cousin about the whole River Pierce deal when she'd noticed the old leather book in his hand, tucked at his side. "Oh...uh...I just told you! I'm cooking dinner for a friend and I and I was trying to decide what to make."

"Right. So what's the problem"

She was looking at him with that intense, but amused stare, and he realized instantly that what he was trying to conceal wasn't exactly a secret to his cousin. "She told you, didn't she?"

Too caught up in her own problems to know what Travis was talking about, Alex shrugged. "I don't know."

The cold sweat that had broken out on Travis's forehead slowly disappeared and he let out a quiet sigh of relief. So she hadn't told Alex? It was probably better that she didn't know...but the sourly miserable expression on Alex's face made Travis stop to think. Even if Parks had told everything to Alex in her head, the blonde had probably completely missed it. "Alex," He began bitter, walking across the hardwood floor to glare at her. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I told you: River's new girlfriend." Alex tried to use her end of discussion tone of voice but it came off as a little more hurt than she wanted it to.

"And why would that bother you?" Travis snapped, a thought suddenly dawning on him. What if she had begun to fall for River? But it couldn't be possible...Robbie was the target of her affections. "Alex."

"It's not about River, it's about Kim. I didn't like her when she was with Robbie and I don't like her now with River. I don't wanna be at that party if she's there, that's all there is to it."

"This isn't about Kim, Alex," Travis retorted, almost angry at his cousin. She was being stubborn, again, and if anything he would try to talk her out of it. "This is about you and your feelings towards Robbie and River...isn't it?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Alex denied immediately, almost too quickly, "I don't have any feelings for River!"

"Don't lie to me, Alexandra Strong," He sounded too much like his father in that statement. The mere thought of it made him recoil back into his calm mode and he tried to figure out what was going on in Alex's mind to make her think he didn't know what she was feeling. "Ever since River left on that damn trip you've been gloomy. And you wouldn't be angry at Kim for no good reason..."

"I have a perfectly good reason: She ruins everything! She's a life ruiner! She always has been. First with Robbie, then with River!" Alex blurted out in frustration.

"Two boys who you obviously have feelings for!" He muttered fiercely, moving to sit down on the edge of her bed. "Alex, we always used to talk to each other...why can't you just tell me what's wrong?"

"Because...you're busy..." Alex lowered her eyes at the recipe book.

"Honestly, if all else fails I'll just order take out and me and Parker can just have Chinese or something," The second he'd finished speaking, Travis realized what he said and felt himself heat up immediately. "I...I...I mean..."

Alex shrugged. "I suspected your crush for a while...just never thought you'd do anything about it."

"Well, I have," He said, suddenly straightening up. "And it's about time you start doing something."

Alex nodded quietly, then asked, "Red or purple"

All rared up and ready to snap back at his cousin, he went to say something before stopping in confusion. "What?"

"Never mind. I was just wondering what I should wear." Alex grinned. "I'm going to do something too. And it all starts with my outfit."

A grin suddenly appeared on Travis's face and he fought desperately to not reach over and hug his cousin to pieces. "Purple...it brings out your eyes a lot."

Alex nodded again. "Thanks, Trav...and good luck with Parks." She smiled then added, "Try the seafood ravioli recipe in there."

"You think so?" He asked quickly, blushing. "Thanks Alex... Good luck with your situation as well."

"I'll handle it." Alex winked and smiled at Travis.

"Alright," Travis stood up, using his free hand to ruffle Alex's hair as he did. "By the way, turquoise jewelry goes really well with magenta. At least...that's what Lily told me."


End file.
